Revealing the energy pyramid: Global energy dependence network and national status based on industry chain

Energy plays a crucial role in supporting national economies. In the era of economic globalization, changes are occurring in the degree of energy dependence and the status of each country. However, current research overlooks the structural differences within various energy industries.This study classifies the energy chain into three components: resource exploration, processing and refining, and fuel products. Based on this framework, it unveils the distribution of global energy value, asymmetric dependence, and influencing factors. The study reveals that the ascent of major Asian industrial powers such as China, Japan, and South Korea, along with significant producers like Russia and Saudi Arabia, is reshaping the global landscape, affecting major players, key segments, partnerships, and hierarchies. The energy order that Western Europe and North America established in the post-Cold War era is displaying signs of erosion, leading to transformations in structural dominance and power dynamics within the energy sector. Furthermore, it was found that interstate dependence in the energy sector is shaped by subjective national distinctions, comparative advantages, and multidimensional proximity. These factors collectively influence the energy sector, although they differ across industry sectors.