energy security risks and alternatives

Energy security risks and alternatives

Energy is secure means it is adequate affordable  and reliable. Consumers expect the lights to always come on flick of switches,their buildings to be maintained at comfortable temperature all over year around, and to be able to purchase  vehicle fuel, or public  transport tickles whenever they wish to travel.

Electricity  ,heat and mobility are usually considered to be amongst the basic necessities of life and therefore affordable to all citizens at any time. Energy security risk may be defined as a degree of probability of disruption to energy supply occurring.

Energy security risks can be categorized
a) energy market instabilities caused by  unforeseen  changes in geo-political or other external factors or compounded by fossil fuel resources concentration.
b) technical failures such as power outages black outs and grid failure or mal function of system under operation.
C) physical security threats such as  terrorists, sabotage, theft or  as well as  natural disasters earth quakes,hurricane,volcanic eruptions ,the effect of climate change.

Energy market instability

Energy supply constraints may occur due to political unrest, trade embargoes and countries able to negotiate unilateral supply deals. The such supply physical interruption thanks to flexibility of energy transport, storage, distribution of system as well as international mechanism .

Petroleum exporting countries (OPEC) countries account for 75 per cent of global conventional oil reserves.OECD  countries only account 7 per cent while they consume close 60 per cent of world total.

Similarly over half of global proven gas reserves are found in three countries, the Russian federation (27 per cent ) Iran (15 per cent) and Qatar ( 14 per cent).OECD countries account for 8 per cent total reserves but consume 50 per cent of world total.

Recently world energy out look (WEO) business as usual reference ,Scenario projected that oil demand will become increasingly insensitive to price, which reinforces  that potential impact of supply disruption on oil prices. Transport demand is price -in elastic relative to other energy sources, since its heavily dependence on global oil consumption is projected to rise, oil demand will become less responsive to movements in international oil prices.
Thus prices are expected to fluctuate more than previously in response to short term  demand supply shifts.

Technical  failure of system due to accident or human failure may cause temporary supply disruption.

Due to acts terrorism ,sabotage and natural disasters can effect any part of energy supply transmission lines, oil & gas exploration ,extraction and refining installation as well as oil and gas fired plants, pipeline and storage facilities ,rail and road net works terminal and ports ,and shipping tankers or road vehicles.

How to avoid energy security risks

Currently India follows the policy of substituting coal for oil because of  abundance of coal resources and inadequate oil production resulting to large oil imports. When oil cannot be substituted by coal directly it is done through electricity .Diesel pump sets are have been systematically replaced by electric pump sets. Even diesel in transport is substituted by electricity though electrification and encouraging suburban railways wherever possible.

The need for massive investments has limited the progress of substitutes, but they are part of strategic plans.


India energy planners need to take role of current debate on global warming .this concern has devalued coal resources .there will pressure from international  energy sources to substitute oil in place of coal. India need   to study its options carefully.

Asian Pacific countries have vigorously perused a policy on national energy development aimed to increasing the resilience to other economies externalize a) development of natural gas b) development of alternative renewable energies wind power and solar energy’s c) promoting use of civil nuclear energy .

Government should promote use following  energies for future growth.

a) As  far electricity concerned government planned add additional generating capacity to 1,00,000 M.W. during 12th five year plan and same additional power generating capacity also of 1,00,000 M.W. during 13th five year plan  in addition to existing power generating capacity 1,60,000 M.W. 

b)Increasing present capacity  of renewable energy 10  per cent of total generating power capacity to  20 per cent by 2017
c)Nuclear  power generating capacity 6000 M.W. (BY end of 2010 ) to 20,000 M .W  by 2017
d) Increasing natural gas production in K.G.basin .
e) Reduce depend upon imported oil and develop already discovered gas and oil fields.
f) Develop infrastructure transmission lines and substations and other power infrastructure like roads ,communication lines.
h) Development pipe lines for gas distribution and other infrastructure for promoting natural gas .
I) Environmental clearances made to be easy for building power plants.  
Government should  take necessary steps for promoting shale gas  by developing partnership with U.S. companies.

Government should analyze  actual alternative sources of energy, as energy is top priority for as  all development activities which are  depend on country’s growth.