News: Poland has announced that it will join NATO Pipeline System (NPS) amid rising tensions with Russia.
About NATO Pipeline System (NPS)
- Purpose: The NPS is designed to ensure that NATO’s requirements for petroleum products and their distribution can be met at all times.
- Origin: It was set up during the Cold War.
- Scale: In total, it is approximately 10,000 kilometres long.
- Coverage: It runs through 12 NATO countries and It has a storage capacity of 4.1 million cubic metres.
- It links together storage depots, military air bases, civil airports, pumping stations, truck and rail loading stations, refineries and entry/discharge points.
- Funding: This system are funded through the NATO Security Investment Programme (NSIP).
- Control: The networks are controlled by national organisations, with the exception of the Central Europe Pipeline System (CEPS), which is a multinational system managed by the CEPS Programme Office under the aegis of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency.
- Structure
- Oversight: The Petroleum Committee (senior advisory on petroleum/consumer logistics) oversees NPS and reports to the Logistics Committee on fuels, lubricants, equipment, the NPS and other petroleum installations.
- Components: Ten systems in total — eight national pipeline systems and two multinational systems.
- Use Policy:
- Military primacy: Facilities are used primarily for military purposes.
- Commercial use: Spare capacity may be used for commercial traffic, only if it does not compromise military primacy.
