Energy security: The outlook for India, and the way forward

Pages: 1737-1743
Sunil Kumar (Energy Security and Overseas Investments Research Div Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi)
Niti Nandini Chatnani (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi)

Access to reliable and affordable supplies of energy is an imperative for economic growth and human development. Oil and gas have remained the dominant sources of primary energy in the energy portfolio of India. The concept of energy security has gained prominence for India, given its high dependency on oil imports, and the highly volatile oil prices. This paper examines India’s energy position in light of some objective and measurable indicators of energy security. The paper further studies India’s energy diversity and energy intensity to establish its precarious energy security position. A framework for measuring country’s energy security is proposed. The paper concludes with recommendations for ensuring India’s energy security given the specific challenges faced by India on that front.