Drone Warfare Pushes Energy Security To The Forefront

According to Axios, the wars in Iran and Ukraine show how cheap, mass drone attacks can disrupt energy supplies by striking refineries, oil tankers and other critical infrastructure. Ukraine has used drones to hit Russian refineries and crude infrastructure around the Black Sea, while Iran has used drones to target shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz and other regional energy sites, including Qatar's main LNG export hub.

Analysts quoted by Axios said the trend is forcing policymakers and companies to rethink protections for power grids, pipelines and LNG ports. Gregory Brew of the Eurasia Group said any energy infrastructure in an area where conflict is possible will need to consider drone defense. Tatiana Mitrova of Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy said planning now requires “completely different thinking” around electricity and fuels, with a greater focus on distributed and modular systems such as mobile, on-site power sources and microgrids. The report also cited anti-drone tools including netting, lasers, electronic jamming and missile systems, while noting that missile interceptors are too expensive to cover all critical infrastructure.