World Energy Council head calls for diversifying energy routes — Asharq Al-Awsat
World Energy Council Secretary General and CEO Angela Wilkinson said in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat ahead of Riyadh Energy Week in Saudi Arabia that the resilience of the global energy system depends not only on production volumes. According to her, it also requires multiple supply routes, developed infrastructure, and interaction between producers and consumers.
Wilkinson noted that recent disruptions to oil trade demonstrated the need for infrastructure capable of withstanding disruptions. In her assessment, geopolitical risks and bottlenecks affect transport routes, refining capacity, liquefied natural gas supplies, power grids, and access to critical minerals.
Alternative export routes
The head of the World Energy Council emphasized that Saudi Arabia’s production capacity and alternative export infrastructure are important for global energy markets, especially when existing supply routes are disrupted. At the same time, she said, no single route eliminates all risks.
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In Wilkinson’s view, the resilience of the energy system of Gulf countries is determined not only by production volumes but also by the ability to reliably transport energy through ports, pipelines, power grids, and international markets. Investment in new infrastructure, grid strengthening, and diversification of partnerships expand the system’s ability to respond to disruptions.
New dependencies of the energy system
Wilkinson believes that over the next five to ten years, geopolitics will increasingly shape decisions on energy interdependence. Reducing dependence on fuel imports, she said, can create a new dependence on critical minerals, technologies, manufacturing capacity, or infrastructure.
She also drew attention to accelerating demand for electricity. In her view, the key constraint on electrification is not a single technology or individual infrastructure facility, but the ability to effectively combine generation, power grids, energy storage, and investment. Expanding these components creates new dependencies on supply chains, critical minerals, aging infrastructure, and skilled personnel.
