GS2 (Mains Answer Writing): India's Energy Security | UPSC Mains: International Relations PDF Download

The question of India's Energy Security constitutes the most important part of India's economic progress. Analyze India's energy policy cooperation with West Asian countries.

Energy security has long been a concern for the India, a global giant in oil consumption. The fuel demands are growing fast in proportion to its rapid economic development. 

• Due to the lack of significant domestic reserves of oil and natural gas, India has looked towards the geopolitically challenging West Asian region to fulfil its requirements throughout much of its independent history. 
• The domestic coal production faced a huge loss during 2013 and it was a serious shock for India’s energy sector as thermal power plants wriggled to find cost-effective opportunities to buy coal from the huge domestic coal sector. As an outcome of this, India was forced to import coal from foreign countries such as Indonesia and South Africa, at cheaper costs than obtainable in national market. 

Relation with West Asia: 

• The West Asia is of vital importance for India’s energy security, providing around 60 percent of India’s oil imports and liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports.
• Securing the supplies of oil and natural gas from the West Asia is closely linked with the foreign policy of India towards the region because, in today’s security environment, energy security and foreign policy are separated by a blurry line. 
• Israel: Importance of India’s relationship with Israel, particularly for military support, technology transfer, agricultural and irrigation development and now renewable energy. 
• Of-late India has been able to forge strategic partnership with UAE and some other countries in gulf, as a part of broader agenda, which also includes energy security and regional peace.

Concerns 

• The security scenario in the region, issue of terrorism, China’s increasing influence in the region etc. has always been a concern for India 
• India is presently trying its best to diminish its dependence on West Asia for its energy requirements, mainly due to the political uncertainty in the region especially in countries like Iraq.  
• Long delays in TAPI pipeline. 

Suggestions: 

• India should expand its energy security department within the MEA, presently operated by a single Joint Secretary level officer, and give it equal importance as the defence department gets. 
• Intensification of direct investments in West Asian energy resources, both at the public and private sector levels. Accelerate earlier assurances in energy cooperation with countries such as Iran, and use security and defence accords with these nations to make healthy measures over fortification of these investments. 

Diversification

• Enhance energy cooperation with other Asian countries like China, Japan, South Korea etc. Form a cooperative partnership to ensure continuous energy flow to the region. 
• Develop closer ties with countries like Iceland, Israel etc. to develop India’s renewable energy technology and to backup with an alternate way other than oil and natural gas. 
• Work to sign more defence treaties on bilateral (such as agreements with signed with Qatar and Saudi Arabia etc.) and institutional levels (such as GCC) and make sure to include energy as a strategic asset in this agreement.

Topics Covered - West Asia - India Politics