How does India's Energy Security Affect her National Security?
Abstract
India faces formidable challenges in meeting its energy needs and in providing adequate and varied energy to users in a sustainable manner and at reasonable costs. With a population in excess of one billion, and an economic growth rate of 8 to 10 percent per year, the quality and quantity of energy required by India is bound to increase exponentially in the future. In the period 2004-05, India consumed 120.17 metric tons (Mt) of crude oil products. Domestic production was between 30.3 Mt and 33.98 Mt each year during the period 1990-2005. The huge and ever-widening gap between demand and domestic supply has forced India to import most of her energy requirements. India currently imports 72 percent of her energy needs and this import dependence is ever-increasing. The World Energy Outlook published by the International Energy Agency in 2004 projects that India's oil import dependence will grow to 91.6 percent by the year 2020. The keys to energy security are assurance of supply and diversity of sources. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have led to spiraling oil prices that have adversely affected India's economy. The major impediments to India's ability to secure her energy security needs are inadequate domestic energy capacity, conflicting interests with China, and India's geographic location. The Indian government has followed a policy of resource diversification. Overland trans-national energy pipelines are one of the options being explored by India to meet her energy security requirements. Overland trans-national energy pipelines by their very nature incorporate multiple nations (source nations, transit nations, and destination nations) and are affected by the regional and geo-strategic interests of the nations involved. The study will limit itself to assessing the feasibility of overland trans-national energy pipelines and determining the effects of such pipelines on India's energy security and national security.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA501870
Entities
People
- Ajay K. Singh
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College