The Protection Of Energy Infrastructures In International Armed Conflicts

The Energy Infrastructures are critical for countries in terms of economic and social aspects. The occurrence of international armed conflicts expose them to destruction or disruption. These infrastructures have also faced modern cyber threats with the development of technology. Therefore the international legal and humanitarian protections of these installations have become a paramount necessity. Such legal protections are applicable under international human rights and humanitarian law. The provisions of the Geneva Conventions and the First Additional Protocol, play a significant role in this between. This article has been written in a descriptive and analytical method, with the aim to conceive the nature of these international legal obligations and to understand the state of these rules and regulations. The article eventually concludes that, by the emergence of new methods of warfare and the growing threats against the energy infrastructures, the protections stipulated in these instruments appear to be inefficient. The initiatives of governments and international organizations to codify the legal rules and regulations, although non-binding in nature, need to keep pace with the increasing threats.