Governance Challenges of South Asia’s Energy Megaprojects

ABSTRACT

For the first time since the end of British colonisation in 1947, the poorly integrated and politically volatile region of South Asia is about to embark on the development of several multilateral energy megaprojects. Historically, regional energy cooperation in South Asia has been undermined by a range of geopolitical issues. Political developments in the last decade have faciliated an unprecedented level of cooperation on energy, and currently several multilateral pipelines and hydroelectric projects are at advanced stages of implementation. Yet, the progress in the physical and bureaucratic development of energy projects has not been complemented by a corresponding conceptualisation of the governance challenges of these initiatives. Within academic literature, there is a dearth of studies that analyses the critical aspect of collectively governing the proposed and under-construction energy megaprojects in South Asia. This gap is concerning as the complexity of energy megaprojects and weak governance systems in developing countries can lead to enormous economic, social and environmental externalities. This article aims to identify the governance challenges of South Asia’s energy megaprojects. To this end, the article draws on literature on global energy governance and energy megaprojects and primary data from interviews undertaken with policymakers. The article synthesises literature on energy cooperation in South Asia with existing knowledge on megaprojects and global energy governance. In doing so, the paper addresses one of the key gaps in literature, which is the lack of studies that appraises megaprojects in the context of interactions between domestic and international politics. Due to the growing importance of energy megaprojects to regional integration and energy transition, the findings of this article have relevance towards policies on global governance and sustainable development.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. The Rampal Power Station is a coal-fired power plant being developed by India and Bangladesh near the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest that is shared by both countries. The project has garnered significant criticism due to its expected impact on the environment.

2. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Maldives and Sri Lanka collectively form the region of South Asia. All eight countries are members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

3. The list reflects a majority of the largest bilateral energy projects but is not exhaustive. Data taken from CUTS International (2019) ‘Energy Cooperation in the BBIN Region’; Agrawal (2020) ‘BIMSTEC Grid Interconnection and Regional Energy Trade’; Chathurvedi (2020) ‘India and Nepal: Energy Cooperation’.

4. Interview with National Security Expert, India, 2014.

5. Interview with National Security Expert, Pakistan, 2015.

6. Interview with former member of the Governing Board of the SAARC Energy Centre, Bangladesh, 2015.

7. Interview with Professor, Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh, 2015.

8. Interview with former Research Fellow of the SAARC Energy Centre, Bangladesh, 2015.

9. Interview with Journalist, Kantipur Publications, Nepal, 2015.

10. Interview with SAARC Expert, Nepal, 2015.

11. Interview with Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, 2014.

12. Interview with National Security Expert, Pakistan, 2015.

13. Interview with Journalist, Kantipur Publications, Nepal, 2015.

14. Interview with Associate Fellow, TERI, India, 2014.

15. Interview with Senior Economist, ICIMOD, Nepal, 2015.

16. Interview with Research Fellow, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 2018.

17. Interview with Senior Research Fellow, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 2018.

18. Interview with Assistant Professor, Kathmandu University, Nepal, 2015.

19. Interview with Senior Economist, ICIMOD, Nepal, 2015.

20. Interview with Assistant Professor, Kathmandu University, Nepal, 2015.

21. Interview with Professor, Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh, 2015.

22. Interview with Research Director, Dhaka University, Bangladesh, 2015.

23. Interview with Senior Research Fellow, ORF, India, 2014.

24. Interview with Assistant Professor, Kathmandu University, Nepal, 2015.

25. Interview with Senior Research Fellow, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 2018.