I read about the sunspots disappearing and the 11 year cycle of the sun. They think we are entering into a mini ice age. Based on the cold snap Europe had this winter, I think they are on to something. The pipeline network shows the chess mentality of the east, when the western mindset is still thinking they can solve everything by printing money. Regarding upgrades or even maintaining the infrastructure (e.g. the grid) the west has been relying on systems that are about 100 years old. They just apply bandaids when the system breaks down instead of updating / upgrading. Gee, I wonder how reliable our infrastructure is today. I don't know if gas will be more reliable than electricity as both require conduit lines; for gas it needs pipelines and for electricity wires and both are dilapidated, but you make a valid point that the electricity grid is not harden to sustain an EMP hit.
Sorry for being satiric but I can't help myself. Well thought out comment, thank you.