Gas Pipeline and Nuclear energy of India

Monday, December 29, 2008

By AHSAN NAWAB

Gas Pipeline and Nuclear energy of India

India Needs Natural Gas Supplies To Meets Its Ever Growing energy requirement. it Produces About 90 Million Standard Cubic meter Of Natural Gas per Day a Against It Daily Demand of 120 million Standard Cubic Meter is set to grow Further in the the coming year. the Project Demand For Natural Gas by India in 2020 is Estimated at 400 million Standard cubic meters a day. Part of this demand will be met domestically but a Large gap would still remains

The rise of India China will exert great Pressure on the International hydro carbon Market about which the US and western Oil Major are greatly concern. this is Partly due to the current estimates of demand growth in these country but more due to the manufacture strategies embarked upon by these oil company to Secure the major upstream presence through equity oil achievement and establishment of a new transportation infrastructure via Transcontinental ad Trans regional pipelines. Are gas pipeline a realistic option in term of security or a costly dream for India. What are the Alternate source of energy Available to meet India Burgeoning demand. These are the Key question confronting policy makers.

Initially India held talk on the Iran-Pakistan-India(IPI) and Myanmar-Bangladesh-India(MBI) gas pipelines in 2001. Unfortunately they Achieved Moderate Success by Securing equity Stakes exploit energy resources Abroad. The last few month has seen Much self-serving Publicity than an appreciation of geopolitical and regional realities. The India Cabinet Commite on Security has not Yet Examined issue of Security and pricing vis-à-vis oil Pipelines whether from Iran and Turkmenistan initially. New Delhi Said it would proceed with the Pipeline from Iran only if Pakistan Agreed to Provide it Transit Facility to Afghanistan.

Reversing this policy India than Proclaimed that it would negotiate only with Iran on this project making Tehran responsible for arranging the security energy supply this policy was Jettisoned and a joint working group established with Pakistan in June 2005. later India vote the IAEA for the resolution against Iran Aroused fear of endangering India Iran relation and India energy Security.

Significantly the growth of India Iranian ties is based on current Global economic and Political realities. The unipolar nature of the current International system is an Important factor. The US has Pressure on Iran to curb it nuclear Programme and demand strong action by the International community against its Clandestine nuclear activities. Hence if India were to go ahead with the Iran Pakistan gas Pipeline it could lead jeopardize relations with US.

The Myanmar-Bangladesh-India Pipeline has also witnessed a similar inconsistency. Bangladesh has turned slowly into a heaven for anti India activities. The illegal immigration of Bangladeshi emergence of Islamic fundamentalism and increasing influence of Pakistan Inter Service Intelligence(ISI) in Bangladesh are uncomfortable issue for both side. Bangladesh has linked the Pipeline issue with the host of other demand. Before loosening their purse strings for any of these project international financiers will look closely at the jihadi presence in Bangladesh and the volatile politics of Balochistan where pipeline are being regularly blown up. India Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh alluded to the risk inherent in both the pipeline project while in Washington in 2005. the Russia China India pipeline suggested as another alternative is a distance and costly proposition.

India quest for energy security will have to be multidimensional realistic bold and imaginative. The recently signed Indo US nuclear agreement is the culmination of the well thought out and finely balanced alternative.

It allows India to place civilian reactors under IAEA safeguards, while maintaining its sovereignty over the military reactors. Further, the deal enables India to receive nuclear fuel like uranium in perpetuity. The advantages of nuclear energy are manifold. Nuclear energy ensures that there are greenhouse gas emissions during operations. It does not produce air pollutants like carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides or particulates. The waste produced is small and cost of fuel is low, while there transport and stockpiling are easy. Thus ,India stands to gain these benefits after the nuclear deal is finalized . Oil and natural gas will continue to be an important part of the Indian energy mix in the substitute over the long term . Although finding and securing new sources of hydrocarbons must be a key aspect of India’s quest for energy security in the immediate future, nuclear energy will be the answer in the future.

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This entry was posted on Monday, December 29th, 2008 at 23:25 and is filed under Current Affairs, India, Int'l Affairs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.