Faced with concerns about a potential attack after the war in Ukraine, NATO is urgently planning to expand its underground oil pipeline network by another 10,000km across Eastern Europe.
This pipeline network was originally built during the Cold War to serve the scenario of a large-scale armed conflict. However, most of the current system is only located west of the German border. In the context of escalating tensions in Iran threatening to cause global fuel shortages, Poland and Romania have strongly demanded that this network be moved east.
NATO's supply system is not just simple pipelines; it directly connects military bases, strategic airports with oil refineries and civilian storage systems. This ensures immediate refueling capability for the air force and armored corps in unexpected situations.
According to sources from Bloomberg, this huge project is estimated to cost about 22.3 billion USD and will take 25 years to complete completely. To cope with financial challenges and legal procedures, the alliance is expected to focus on 2 priority branches with high enforcement.
The first is to expand the Central European system to Poland with a budget of 5.8 billion USD. The second branch connects Greece, Bulgaria and Romania with a cost of about 6.4 billion USD. The detailed plan is expected to be officially announced at the upcoming Ankara Summit.
This project will use the union's general budget and raise additional capital by allowing businesses to lease spare capacity for commercial oil transportation. However, the biggest challenge remains the consensus of all members, especially the United States - the largest pound holder of the bloc.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasized that counterpart countries are building rapid military capabilities. Strengthening the "throat" of gasoline and oil in the east flank is not simply a logistics issue, but has become a strategic deterrent tool, protecting the survival of the alliance from the risk of a conflict spreading beyond the Ukrainian border in the next 5 years.
