A PROMETHEE-GDSS for oil and gas pipeline planning in the Caspian Sea basin

The demand for oil and natural gas has severely challenged the world supply. The Caspian Sea basin holds large quantities of both oil and natural gas. Pipelines are needed to transport the oil and natural gas from this landlocked region over long distances within countries and across borders to meet this increasing demand. The evaluation of alternative export routes in the Caspian Sea basin is a complex multicriteria problem with conflicting objectives. We present a Group Decision Support System (GDSS) for the evaluation of alternative pipeline routes in this region. The proposed system decomposes the route selection process into manageable steps. The system combines Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat (SWOT) analysis with the Delphi method to capture the decision makers' (DMs') beliefs. A group Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE) model is used to integrate these beliefs with subjective judgments and identify the most attractive pipeline route. The Geometrical Analysis for Interactive Assistance (GAIA) plane is used to further analyze the alternative routes and arrive at a group solution consistent with managerial goals and objectives. ► We present a GDSS for pipeline route evaluation in the Caspian Sea basin. ► We use SWOT analysis and Delphi method to capture the decision makers' beliefs. ► We use PROMETHEE-GDSS to integrate these beliefs with subjective judgments. ► We use GAIA to graphically analyze the alternative routes.