India's Energy Security

Abstract

This essay seeks to examine India's energy outlook. The focus is on oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear power. New Delhi's efforts to utilize domestic and foreign supplies will be discussed. Given the nation's limited hydrocarbon proven reserves, the study suggests that India's dependence on foreign supplies will further deepen in the foreseeable future. Most of these supplies will come from oil and natural gas producers in the Persian Gulf. This projection should not be seen as a threat to India's energy security. Rather, a growing interdependence is emerging between India (and other Asian energy consumers) and Persian Gulf producers.

Notes

1. International Monetary Fund, India: Staff Report for the 2005 Article IV Consultation, available on line at ⟨http://www.imf.org⟩ accessed December 26, 2006.

2. Institute of Energy Economics – Japan, Asia/World Energy Outlook 2006, available on line at ⟨http://eneken.ieej.or.jp/en⟩ accessed December 12, 2006.

3. Brookings Institution, Energy Security Series: India, available on line at ⟨http://www.brook.edu⟩ accessed December 18, 2006.

4. British Petroleum, BP Statistical Review of World Energy, London, 2006, pp.32, 34, 35.

5. Ibid, pp. 6, 8, 11.

6. Energy Information Administration, Country Analysis Brief – India, available on line at ⟨http://www.eia.doe.gov⟩ accessed December 12, 2005.

7. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Outlook, Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 2006, pp.87, 158.

8. British Petroleum, BP Statistical Review of World Energy, London 2006, pp.22, 24, 27.

9. Ajit Ranade and Sanchita Basu Das, Sectoral Reports: Oil and Gas, available on line at ⟨http://www.abnamro.co.in⟩ accessed December 18, 2006.

10. Energy Information Administration, Country Analysis Brief – India, available on line at ⟨http://www.eia.doe.gov⟩ accessed December 12, 2006.

11. James Gavin, ‘Demanding Times for South Asia's Giant’, Petroleum Economist, Vol.72, No.10, October 2005, pp.26, 27.

12. For a detailed discussion of these four pipeline schemes see Shree Vikas and Christopher L. Ellsworth, ‘India Faces Challenges Meeting Gas, LNG Import Needs’, Oil and Gas Journal, Vol.104, No.5, February 6, 2006, pp. 27–32.

13. Manohar Thyagaraj and Raju G.C. Thomas, ‘The U.S.‐Indian Nuclear Agreement: Balancing Energy Needs and Non‐proliferation Goals’, Orbis, Vol. 50, No.2, Spring 2006, pp. 355–369, p. 356.

14. David E. Sanger, ‘We Are (Aren't) Safer with India in the Nuclear Club’, New York Times, March 5, 2006.

15. For more details see Energy and Resources Institute, New Exploration Licensing Policy: Will It Strike Oil? Available on line at ⟨http://static.teriin.org/energy/nelp.htm⟩ accessed December 22, 2006.

16. Saritha Rai, ‘China and India: Bidding Partners, at Least on Paper’, International Herald Tribune, January 20, 2006.

17. Siddharth Varadarajan, ‘India, China and the Axis of Oil’, Hindu, January 24, 2006.

18. Moscow Times, ‘India Plans Large Investment in Russian Oil’, January 20, 2005.

19. Stefan Wagstyl, ‘Russia to Boost Asia Energy Exports’, Financial Times, September 10, 2006.

20. Geoffrey Kemp, ‘The East Moves West’, National Interest, No.84, Summer 2006, pp.71–77, p. 71.

21. Syed Rifaat Hussein, ‘Changing Dynamics of Relations between South Asia and the Gulf Region’, Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 29, No.3, Spring 2006, pp.16–35, p. 29.

22. Dawn, ‘India Calls for Asian Oil Market’, January 7, 2005.