ABSTRACT
The over-increasing need for sufficient and uninterrupted energy supply has led to the continuous design and construction of Critical Energy Ιnfrastructure (CΕΙ) worldwide. CEI, such as large-scale lifelines (e.g., high-pressure gas pipelines), are vulnerable to static and seismic geohazards (e.g., soil erosion, landslides, soil liquefaction, etc.) and hydrohazards (e.g., flooding and Ground Water Table (GWT) fluctuation). On the other hand, Climate Change (CC) involves, among others, shifts in the frequency, duration and intensity of rainfalls, which are directly related to the aforementioned hazards. Since the avoidance of potentially geo-hazardous and/or hydro-hazardous areas is not always techno-economically feasible, a realistic quantitative assessment of the structural integrity of CEI against the above hazards in conjunction with CC is required. Accordingly, the current paper aims to quantitatively assess the anticipated CC impact on the performance of pipelines constructed on soil slopes. The results reveal that this impact cannot be considered detrimental a priori.
