NATO Eyes $30B Cold War Pipeline Expansion East
NATO may expand Cold War-era fuel pipelines to Eastern Europe and Turkey in a $30B project aimed at supporting military logistics near Russia.
NATO is close to reaching an agreement on expanding a Cold War-era pipeline network toward Eastern Europe and Turkey, Bloomberg reported.
According to the agency, the pipelines connect military bases and are meant to secure fuel supplies in the event of a possible crisis. A Bloomberg source said the project could become the largest investment in the alliance’s history, with its cost estimated at $30 billion. The technical parameters, however, still have to be agreed by NATO members.
In the coming weeks, the parties are expected to determine both the financing structure and the procedure for expanding the pipeline system. Most of the funding is expected to come from NATO, while the remaining share would be covered by Eastern European countries.
Bloomberg named Poland, the Baltic states, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey among the main beneficiaries of the project.
The initiative is designed to strengthen NATO’s ability to supply fuel to aircraft, military vehicles and infrastructure facilities. According to Bloomberg, the plan reflects growing concerns that existing pipelines in Western Europe may not be enough to support large-scale operations near Russia’s borders.
For now, countries on the alliance’s eastern flank rely heavily on road and rail logistics. That system is considered more vulnerable to attacks, making fuel infrastructure an increasingly important issue for NATO.