Lo scenario energetico futuro: area Mena, Europa e Mediterraneo in prospettiva

The Mediterranean basin is a key area for global trade and a major energy hub. It connects the Mena region - the area with the world's largest reserves of oil and natural gas - with the countries of the European Union, which account for around 15% of world energy consumption. The aim of the chapter is to investigate, in a future perspective, the role of the Mediterranean area in the energy field, looking at the possible evolution of the world scenario regarding energy consumption and use of different sources. The chapter focuses on oil and natural gas, which account for more than 50% of world energy consumption, an incidence that is destined to remain so even in the event of a rapid transition towards consumption of alternative energy sources. The analysis concerns data on production, consumption and trade flows of these two energy sources, with particular reference to intra-Mediterranean relations between producers and consumers. On the demand side, the focus is on energy consumption and supply relations of France, Italy and Spain, the three main Euro-Mediterranean countries. A specific in-depth analysis is dedicated to the geopolitical aspects of international energy relations, a variable that is difficult to read, but which has a certain impact on the balance of the sector. The focus is on natural gas, a resource that is central in the long transition phase towards the use of renewable sources. The chapter is divided as follows: first of all, the possible evolution of the global energy scenario to 2040 is presented, highlighting the strategic role of oil and natural gas also in the next twenty years; then, the supply and demand of energy resources in the Mediterranean area are analyzed, respectively, the energy production of the countries of the Mena region on the one hand and the energy consumption of the three main Euro-Mediterranean countries on the other, with particular reference to oil and natural gas data. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)