TY - JOUR
T1 - Hydropower-based collaboration in South Asia
T2 - the case of India and Bhutan
AU - Tortajada, Cecilia
AU - Saklani, Udisha
N1 - Funding Information:
Indian corporate actors and public undertakings have benefitted from engineering and design consulting services as well as award of civil and electro-mechanical works ( Personal communication, 2016, 2017 ). One example is the Mangdechhu hydropower project, a planned 720 MW run-of-the-river power plant on the Mangdechhu River in the Trongsa Dzongkhag District of central Bhutan ( Embassy of India in Bhutan, n.d. ; Chattopadhyay, 2012 ). It was funded by the Government of India through a 70% loan and 30% grant. India's state-owned power company, National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited, provides hydropower design and engineering consulting, while the Central Electricity Authority and WAPCOS Limited were hired as consultants for the design and engineering of the transmission lines. India's public undertaking, Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd. (BHEL), received a US$ 110 million contract to provide electro-mechanical equipment. A subsidiary of the Indian giant JP Group won the contract for the construction of the dam, diversion tunnels, underground powerhouse, shafts and the intake structures for the project. At several stages of the project implementation, other Indian groups or subsidiaries of multinational companies were subcontracted for construction or engineering works ( Chattopadhyay, 2012 ).
Funding Information:
This study was supported by a grant of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore (Grant WBS R-603-000-160-720 ). The authors would like to acknowledge the constructive comments of the reviewers, the unstinted support of Dasho Chhewang Rinzin, Managing Director, Druke Green Power Corporation, Thimpu, Bhutan, to understand the perspectives from Bhutan, and the candid views of the rest of the experts.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2018/6
Y1 - 2018/6
N2 - India's increasing growth in GDP, which rose from 3.7% annually in 1961–7.9% annually in 2015, has resulted in a rising demand for energy that almost doubled between 2000 and 2015. This trend is expected to continue due to urbanization, industrialization, and expansion of domestic manufacturing, encouraged by the Make in India initiative. A framework that considers a long-term road map for energy security is necessary to transform India from a country of chronic power shortages to one with reliable sources of energy. Elements of this framework include a sustainable energy mix, stronger reliance on green energy sources like hydro, solar and wind power, less dependency on coal, and strengthened cooperation on energy trade with neighbouring countries in South Asia. This paper discusses the long-term transboundary energy collaboration between India and Bhutan and the benefits for India in terms of diversification of energy sources and overall energy security. By assessing reciprocal benefits for India, we attempt to substantiate our claim that the India-Bhutan energy collaboration is strongly based on the principle of mutual benefits that extend to overall security. Cooperation between India and Bhutan is unique rather than a model in the region mainly due to mistrust and geopolitics.
AB - India's increasing growth in GDP, which rose from 3.7% annually in 1961–7.9% annually in 2015, has resulted in a rising demand for energy that almost doubled between 2000 and 2015. This trend is expected to continue due to urbanization, industrialization, and expansion of domestic manufacturing, encouraged by the Make in India initiative. A framework that considers a long-term road map for energy security is necessary to transform India from a country of chronic power shortages to one with reliable sources of energy. Elements of this framework include a sustainable energy mix, stronger reliance on green energy sources like hydro, solar and wind power, less dependency on coal, and strengthened cooperation on energy trade with neighbouring countries in South Asia. This paper discusses the long-term transboundary energy collaboration between India and Bhutan and the benefits for India in terms of diversification of energy sources and overall energy security. By assessing reciprocal benefits for India, we attempt to substantiate our claim that the India-Bhutan energy collaboration is strongly based on the principle of mutual benefits that extend to overall security. Cooperation between India and Bhutan is unique rather than a model in the region mainly due to mistrust and geopolitics.
KW - Bhutan
KW - Energy security
KW - Geopolitics
KW - Hydropower development
KW - India
KW - South Asia
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85044131671&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.enpol.2018.02.046
DO - 10.1016/j.enpol.2018.02.046
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85044131671
SN - 0301-4215
VL - 117
SP - 316
EP - 325
JO - Energy Policy
JF - Energy Policy
ER -