Economic and Geographical Factors of Gas Pipeline Infrastructure Planning and Construction

This paper explores the meaning of economic and geographical factors during planning and construction of regional gas pipelines and the distributive gas pipeline network. The demand for a secure natural gas supply imposes the need for expanding the gas pipeline infrastructure, as well as ensuring several directions from which the gas would be supplied to the end consumers. Proper planning of the gas pipeline infrastructure enables cost rationalization and reduction, which indirectly influences the overall economic dimension of the gasification project. The enormous investment costs dictate a need for careful analysis of the economics of a gas pipeline project. During planning, an important step is the selection of the gas pipeline route, as well as creating a feasibility study of project construction. The conducted detailed analysis should justify the economic profitability, as well as the long-term sustainability of the gas pipeline project. The geographical layout of the gas market does not match its reserves, so the importing countries have to link their territory with very distant gas production areas. The economic and geographical factors of gas pipeline infrastructure planning and construction are: geographical and geo-strategic position of the area where the gas pipeline infrastructure is being routed, relief, climate, ground, demographic features relating to population, population density, consumer habits of the population, the existence of large industrial consumers of gas, market characteristics; but the historical, ecological, technical and technological factors are also important. These factors can also represent important planning parameters for the future consumption of natural gas, so that a long term supply of a sufficient quantity of energy sources at reasonable prices would be available too.