Rethinking Energy Security In India

The terrorist attacks of September 11and the US reaction to them in the form of a war on terrorism have completely transformed the strategic environment in the Southern Asian region. Pakistan, due to its geo-political location and past policies, has to bear a significant impact of the war on terrorism. This volume is an effort to understand the evolving strategic environment and how Pakistan is placed within that context.

Traditional notions of security are premised on the primacy of state security. In relation to energy security, traditional policy thinking has focused on ensuring supply without much emphasis on socioeconomic and environmental impacts. Non-traditional security (NTS) scholars argue that threats to human security have become increasingly prominent since the end of the Cold War, and that it is thus critical to adopt a holistic and multidisciplinary approach in addressing rising energy needs. This volume represents the perspectives of scholars from across Asia, looking at diverse aspects of energy security through a non-traditional security lens. The issues covered include environmental and socioeconomic impacts, the role of the market, the role of civil society, energy sustainability and policy trends in the ASEAN region.

Energy is fundamental to the economic development of a society. Ensuring energy security is critical to the security, sovereignty, and well-being of any country. However, there is no consensus on the definition of energy security. Energy Security and Economic Development in India: a holistic approach attempts to construct an appropriate definition for the concept of energy security. The evolution of energy security is traced at both the global level and in the Indian context. This book elaborates on the concept of energy security, highlights its linkages, enumerates India's indigenous energy resources, examines the status of energy security in the country, and makes policy suggestions to ensure energy security in the country.

This book explores the multifaceted aspects of India's energy security concerns. It sheds light on India's energy insecurity and explores its various dimensions, its nature and extent. It examines the role that trade, foreign and security policy should play in enhancing India's energy security. It is argued that the key challenge for India is to increase economic growth while at the same time keeping energy demands low. This is especially challenging with the transition from biomass to fossil fuels, the growth of the motorized private transport and rising incomes, aspirations and changing lifestyles. The book suggests that at this time there are strong arguments to lessen India's fossil fuel dependence and it argues for a need to engage with all the key sources of this dependence to implement a process of energy change.

This volume provides a systematic framework for energy suppliers, policy makers, academics, students, and all others interested in energy security, and analyzes key issues concerning energy, security and sustainability with the help of a wealth of data. While sustainability is the broadest objective, energy security is an important part of it, at the global, national and societal levels. The development of a sustainable, long-term solution to meeting the world’s energy needs is a defining issue of our time, since central global challenges that the world faces—poverty alleviation, climate change, and environmental degradation—are directly linked to energy security. The contributions cover key issues in sustainable energy and illustrate that the insecurity of a majority of countries owes to internal factors which have more to do with market forces, inefficient technologies, lack of institutions, environmental insecurity, pricing mechanisms, etc., and less to do with the international situation. The links between energy and development are both direct and indirect. Directly, energy provides several services and utilities to maintain human well-being, and also does so indirectly through stakeholders. This volume addresses both the direct and indirect links and provides sustainable alternatives, helping readers to better grasp the resilience of both socio-economic and resource sub-systems in the process. The issues affecting energy supply and demand, including technology portfolios, environmental considerations and consumer attitudes are thoroughly discussed. One of the critical questions that arises is how to facilitate energy investment. The investment climate and the key issues involved are analyzed, including: the capital flows with reasonable and stable investment frameworks, timely decision-making by governments, and open markets. The broad objective of the volume is to foster a deeper understanding of the concept of energy security and to identify the methods of analysis, policy initiatives and future research needed to generate a balanced pattern of energy use and mitigate its impact on humanity and the environment.

This volume explores opportunities and challenges in articulating and implementing a robust but flexible set of strategies for meeting India’s primary energy needs; making the energy system more resilient, in order to drive India’s economic growth, and more equitable, in order to fulfil the basic energy needs of all citizens in an uncertain future. A range of national scenarios is explored to examine possibilities of fuel and technology substitutions along two time horizons: in some detail until 2030 and also mapping out plausible pathways to 2050. This volume is the first time a tripartite effort has been undertaken by an IOC (Shell) and two reputed think-tanks (CEEW and TERI) to develop a single narrative on energy choices and related issues in India. It combines Shell’s international and energy-specific know-how with CEEW and TERI’s domestic and broader sustainable development experience. Finally, it is unique in its treatment of the energy sector as a whole in India’s development (focusing on both the technology and policy dimensions), and in its engagement with the world (including diplomatic and security dimensions).

With reference to India.