China is a thirsty country desperately in need of water—a lot of it. In order to meet its water and energy requirements in the densely populated and fertile northern plains, it is successively making interventions in the Tibetan rivers in the southern part through dams and diversions. While China is well within its riparian rights to do so, a set of externalities involving the principles of water-sharing and lower riparian needs—stretching from Afghanistan to Vietnam—raise concerns.

• Uttam Kumar Sinha
• January 2012
• Strategic Analysis

When a resource-deficient country becomes industrialised lifestyles become increasingly energy intensive, compelling it to seek resources overseas.

• Shebonti Ray Dadwal
• January 2012
• Strategic Analysis

China is pursuing an energy policy to alleviate its import dependence, diversify the sources and routes of imported oil and prepare for supply disruption. China's import of hydrocarbons is growing rapidly. Besides sea transport from West Asia and other oil rich countries of both crude and liquefied natural gas, China has also identified diverse import routes for oil and gas by overland pipelines. Some projects are now complete and many are under construction or in the planning stage.

• P. K. Gautam
• July 2011
• Strategic Analysis

South Asian countries, and particularly India, are hydrocarbon-deficient, and given the pace of economic growth in many of these nations, all of them need huge energy resources to sustain their growth. In accordance with their diversification strategies as well as to enhance energy security they are considering alternate sources and means of imports, including via land pipelines.

• Shebonti Ray Dadwal
• September 2011
• Strategic Analysis

India has announced ambitious plans to expand its nuclear energy programme nearly 15 fold in the next 20 years, from the current 4,500 MWe to about 62,000 MWe by 2032. By 2020, India's Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) plans to install 20,000 MWe of nuclear power generation capacity (the fifth largest in the world). The department has plans beyond 2030 too. According to these plans India will have the capacity to produce 275 GWe (Giga Watt of electricity) of nuclear power by the year 2052.

• Arvind Gupta
• May 2011
• Strategic Analysis

The present energy crisis in Bangladesh is partly due to over-dependence on gas which fulfils more than 70 per cent of its energy needs. The present gas deficit against the national demand on a daily basis is expected to increase further in the future. The crisis will deepen unless a greater share of indigenous coal is included in the energy mix. The geological and social constraints of an over-populated fertile agricultural land area remain an obstacle to large-scale coal mining and this has to be addressed rationally.

• Badrul Imam
• March 2011
• Strategic Analysis

Following the dispute over the seizure of a Chinese trawler and its crew by Japan in the disputed waters in the East China Sea believed to be rich in oil and gas resources, Beijing has been flexing its muscles against Tokyo in another area. However, this one may have far deeper consequences not only for Japan but for the rest of the world.

• Shebonti Ray Dadwal
• March 2011
• Strategic Analysis

The latest addition to the Chinese ‘enigma’ is its oil potential. There have been various accounts, of late, in influential journals and important documents attempting to unravel the mystery surrounding Chinese oil. As it happens, most of them have helped only to further deepen it.

• P. K. S. Namboodiri
• November 2010
• Strategic Analysis

Development prospects and economic growth in Pakistan, like in most other countries, will hinge on securing sustainable energy supplies. The Pakistan government has developed a strategy to enhance its energy production by 2030. This article explores the problems faced by the Pakistan government in optimising its use of indigenous energy resources and the implications that future plans to strengthen its energy security may have for its domestic and foreign policy.

• Sumita Kumar
• November 2010
• Strategic Analysis

The energy sector since the mid-2000s has acquired top priority in Russian state affairs, but since late 2008 it has also become the epicentre of the economic disaster that still continues to affect Russia. President Medvedev has effectively discarded the notion of Russia as an 'energy super-power' and is now focusing on 'modernisation' for Russia's development. But coherence of this course is problematic because the bulk of new investments must go into the energy sector in order to sustain the high revenues.

• Pavel K. Baev
• November 2010
• Strategic Analysis

Following the recent economic crisis, concerns over the revival of trade protectionism have surfaced, with some countries imposing or threatening to impose highly trade-distorting legislation to help their domestic industries compete in world markets, raising the spectre of a potential trade war. This paper looks at the attempts by some of the developed countries to introduce trade measures using the issue of climate change as a Trojan horse, to ensure that they do not lose out to the emerging economies.

• Shebonti Ray Dadwal
• November 2010
• Strategic Analysis

With the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol expiring in 2012, time seems to be running out for a new successor agreement. The Protocol remains the most comprehensive attempt to negotiate binding limits on anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The long-term challenge, defined by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is to stabilise GHG concentration in the atmosphere at levels that would prevent interference with the climate system. There are, however, economic and social realities that drive anthropogenic GHG emissions.

• Uttam Kumar Sinha
• November 2010
• Strategic Analysis

Most of the countries in West Asia have expressed an interest in developing nuclear energy. For them their growing demand of electricity owing to the increasing population, growing industries, their eternal reliance on the desalinated water and environmental protection are the major drivers of their decision to produce nuclear energy. Importantly, they would like to use nuclear energy for domestic consumption and supply oil and gas to earn more revenues.

• Prasanta Kumar Pradhan
• November 2010
• Strategic Analysis

The article analyses international politics surrounding the Iranian nuclear crisis, and its implications for stakeholders such as the United States and its western allies as well as for emerging market countries including India, China, and Turkey which are especially interested in Iran's energy resources. Given the existence of multiplicity of interests of these countries, often conflicting, the article analyses three possible scenarios of how the Iranian nuclear crisis is likely to be addressed.

• Atul Aneja
• November 2010
• Strategic Analysis

Energy ties between India and Australia are centuries old and can be traced back to the days of East India Company of the British–Indian era. From the first commercial export in the form of a shipment of coal to India from Australia in 1797, energy cooperation has come a long way. For instance, apart from making unswerving attempts to get Australian yellowcake, attempts have been made by India to ensure greater supply of coal and natural gas.

• Rahul Mishra
• November 2010
• Strategic Analysis

Let's face the facts: we are not going to regulate our way out of either climate change, or a peaking of fossil fuels. Even if we could imagine that individuals and nations were capable of accepting significant reductions in their lifestyle for long-term self-interest or the interests of their grandchildren, no amount of increased efficiency of those already using energy is going to make up for the Other Three Billion (O3B) citizens of the world moving to developed lifestyles and their accompanying energy demand.

• Peter Garretson
• November 2010
• Strategic Analysis

Nuclear energy is undergoing a global renaissance. While nuclear energy has been contributing between 14 and 16 per cent of the total electricity in the world in recent years, most of the countries that are operating nuclear power reactors are expanding and/or reviving their nuclear energy development programmes, including countries such as the US and the UK. At the same time, several new countries and regions, many of which are rich in other energy resources, are also opting for nuclear energy.

• Rajiv Nayan
• November 2010
• Strategic Analysis

Nuclear energy, as we know it, was unleashed by nature at Oklo in Gabon, Africa, when uranium formed rings on its mountains billion of years ago. Natural uranium contains at least three per cent uranium. This uranium formed rings around the mountain and acted as fuel rods in a reactor. When rain water was run across the fuel rod, it acted as a reactor. The Oklo phenomenon was discovered only in 1972. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) saw fit to run an international conference on the subject.

• R. R. Subramanian
• November 2010
• Strategic Analysis

The eradication of poverty and prosperity depend upon the economic development of a nation which in turn is dependent on an adequate and continuous supply of energy sources. Hence, energy is the lifeline of economic development. The rise of South Asia in general and India in particular as a force on the economic scene is now widely acknowledged. India's growing population and expanding economy with the shift in focus from agriculture to the manufacturing and services sectors have led to an increase in energy intensity which has resulted in an unprecedented demand for energy sources.

• Bhupendra Kumar Singh
• November 2010
• Strategic Analysis

What are the major trends that will shape the global energy future in the medium to long term, say up to 2030? The authoritative report of the International Energy Agency (IEA) issued in 2007, before the global economic slowdown of 2008–09, had predicted the world's primary energy demand growing by 55 per cent at an average annual rate of 1.8 per cent between 2005 and 2030. This was before the global economic crisis of 2008–09.

• Arvind Gupta
• November 2010
• Strategic Analysis

The value of the Caspian energy reserve lies in its potential to add to global reserves of oil and gas, which, in turn, could bring down costs.

• Shebonti Ray Dadwal , Chithra Purushothaman
• September 12, 2018
• IDSA Comments

Given that Iran accounts for around 10 per cent of India total oil imports, the immediate factor for New Delhi will be to look at various options to deal with the situation without jeopardising its energy security.

• Shebonti Ray Dadwal
• July 12, 2018
• IDSA Comments

Despite the easing of international crude prices, the central government is unlikely to cut central excise duties since a cut of Re 1 would result in a loss of revenue of Rs. 10,725 crore.

• Shebonti Ray Dadwal
• May 30, 2018
• IDSA Comments

China’s launch of a yuan-denominated oil futures exchange will provide it with the opportunity to create an Asian crude oil benchmark and give it more clout in crude pricing and for promoting the yuan as a truly global currency.

• Shebonti Ray Dadwal
• February 22, 2018
• IDSA Comments

India should invest in creating a competitive solar module sector across the manufacturing chain, from procuring primary resources to the finished product.

• Shebonti Ray Dadwal
• November 22, 2017
• IDSA Comments

Crown Prince Salman has been using oil as a tool to further his political ambitions both domestically and internationally, and Saudi Aramco acts as a nucleus around which his ambitions revolve.

• Chithra Purushothaman
• November 16, 2017
• IDSA Comments

The contentious discourse in the media ignores the implications of state taxes on rising fuel prices.

• Vinay Kaushal
• September 27, 2017
• Issue Brief

If India gets a stake in the proposed Aramco IPO, it would mean getting a share of profits from one of the world’s largest and most profitable companies.

• Chithra Purushothaman
• July 13, 2017
• IDSA Comments

India’s record in wind energy development is good. But the existing technology is fast becoming outdated. Evolving technologies like kite wind should therefore be considered.

• Shebonti Ray Dadwal
• June 09, 2017
• IDSA Comments

While hydropower projects are critical for economic growth and development, it is equally important to fully assess their potential social and environmental impact in the long-term. The challenge lies in finding the right balance between the need for development and the necessity of protecting the environment.

• Opangmeren Jamir
• May 12, 2017
• IDSA Comments

Given that over 70 per cent of the world's energy consumption comes under the IEA umbrella, the association with the agency will substantially increase India’s relevance in global energy governance.

• Shebonti Ray Dadwal
• April 19, 2017
• IDSA Comments

Unless an integrated view of Teesta basin management is adopted, the water and power needs of Sikkim and Bengal cannot be attended to in juxtaposition to the needs of Bangladesh.

• Gautam Sen
• April 18, 2017
• IDSA Comments

TAPI has the potential to be a game changer for Turkmenistan. To boost confidence among potential investors, Turkmenistan needs to adopt best global practices in its gas sector.

• Sanket Sudhir Kulkarni
• September 02, 2016
• IDSA Comments

The longer the price of oil remains depressed, India, like other major oil importers, will not only increase its dependence on crude imports, but it will also become more dependent on OPEC.

• Shebonti Ray Dadwal
• January 18, 2016
• IDSA Comments

The fact that the developed countries succeeded in making all commitments non-binding makes the Paris Agreement almost toothless.

• Shebonti Ray Dadwal , Satyam Malaviya
• December 18, 2015
• IDSA Comments

India needs to capitalise on the emerging Iranian gas supply market and the current low price scenario, before rival consumers snap up Iranian exports or prices go up. Developing broader relations that entail incorporating gas supplies from Iran would give India greater leverage at a time when other countries in South Asia are emerging as key gas importers.

• Shebonti Ray Dadwal
• November 10, 2015
• IDSA Comments

Often criticised as an obstructionist or stubborn negotiator, India now holds considerable credibility as a leader when it comes to climate change related pledges.

• Satyam Malaviya
• September 03, 2015
• IDSA Comments

This fresh move on the Indian Prime Minister’s part is perhaps meant to signal to Pakistan that if the latter continues with its hostilities and political rhetoric towards India, then India and other countries may consider an alternative arrangement.

• Sanket Sudhir Kulkarni
• August 27, 2015
• IDSA Comments

Nepal should raise Ecological Task Force (ETF) units to assist in tasks related to ecological reconstruction.

• P. K. Gautam
• April 29, 2015
• IDSA Comments

Kautilya argues that when the treasury gets depleted, concerted efforts become necessary for its replenishment and even recommends extraordinary measures in emergency situations. But the guiding principle should be what the people consider as beneficial to themselves.

• P. K. Gautam
• April 17, 2015
• IDSA Comments