Opinion
Price of Power
27 Nov 2001 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Times of India
Oil prices soared on September 11, fuelling fears of an adverse impact on the import-dependent Indian economy. But, oil prices in fact tumbled, despite predictions to the contrary. R K Pachauri, director of the TERI, however, feels that India cannot afford to be complacent. He tells Saira Kurup that it is high time the government planned for the country?s energy security.
Collapse of the energy giant
17 Nov 2001 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| TERI Newswire 7(22)
A major development which has shaken the financial markets in several countries and caused concern worldwide in business and government circles is the collapse of the energy giant Enron. The fallout of this catastrophic caving in of a major company, which till less than a year ago was regarded as a shining example of a dynamic and successful corporation, is yet to be assessed. But, of course, this development has major implications for India, since Enron has been at loggerheads with the Government of Maharashtra and the Maharashtra State Electricity Board over the Dabhol power project for almost a year now. Several Indian financial institutions have provided a large amount as loan capital for the 3 billion dollar project, and it is not clear at all how the impending bankruptcy of Enron might affect their stakes in the project.
Environmental concerns: catch them young
02 Nov 2001 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| TERI Newswire 7(21)
Some years ago the festival of Diwali had become, for several million citizens of Delhi and other cities, a nightmare with prolonged bursting of firecrackers, sometimes through the night, and air pollution at a level that was not merely a long-term hazard but an immediate threat to life. Fortunately, a movement began among schoolchildren who were not only disturbed by the thought of supporting the fireworks industry that employs child labour on a large scale, but also saw the dangers in the enormous noise and air pollution resulting from this distorted form of celebration, which had to be brought to an end. Diwali stands for the triumph of good over evil! So how can the celebration of the victory of good be carried to a degree that it harms the lives of millions of people? The result of action by children has been a significant toning down of the noisy and visible manifestation of Diwali celebrations, with results that are clearly desirable.
India's energy dependence: quest for developing R&D
17 Oct 2001 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| TERI Newswire 7(20)
Catastrophic events and calamities become and remain the subject of attention worldwide only for a short period of time. In some sense, this is to be expected in an age when news and pictures travel rapidly round the globe only to be replaced by new sensations, and when the news media concerns itself almost entirely with what sells as news. But enlightened societies have to develop and nurture institutions that are capable of looking beyond the immediate, and engage themselves in assessing the long-term implications of events and disasters of the type we have seen since 11 September.
Complacency on oil prices should not go on for long
16 Oct 2001 |
| The Financial Express
The first of the missile showers over Kabul did not bring any relief to oil producers. Brent, which closed at $21 and 5 cents a barrel on October 5, 2001, was at $20 and 50 cents on October 9. Oil traders are obviously not expecting any disruption in oil supply on account of the war in Afghanistan. However, as an oil consumer, India cannot be complacent about the oil price, especially as the United States has warned that the war could be carried beyond Afghanistan. If this means that Iraq may have to be hit, we may well see a repetition of 1990-91 when the price shot up from $20 a barrel to over $40.
Thermal power generation: Key issues in India
16 Oct 2001 |
Dr Y P Abbi
| TERI Newswire 7(19)
Electric power is the key to the economic development of the country. India currently has a peak demand shortage of around 14% and an energy deficit of 8.4%. Keeping this in view and to maintain a GDP (gross domestic product) growth of 8% to 10%, the Government of India has very prudently set a target of 215 804 MW power generation capacity by March 2012 from the present level of 100 010 MW as on March 2001, that is a capacity addition of 115 794 MW in the next 11 years.
President George W. Bush reneges on campaign promise
15 Oct 2001 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Newspaper Today
An extremely unfortunate development that threatens to halt and even reverse progress in the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol for mitigation of climate change, has been created by none other than the President of the US. President George W. Bush in a reversal of his campaign promise of September 29 wrote a letter last week to four conservative senators stating that he would take no action for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide from power plants in the US. As it happens, 50% of the power generated in the US uses coal, which makes the US the largest user of coal per capita, ahead of China and India. Utterly devoid of logic is President George W. Bush's statement on the Kyoto Protocol that it "exempts 80% of the world including, major population centres such as China and India, from compliance, and would cause serious harm to the US economy".
Can't ignore economic and strategic implications
10 Oct 2001 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Economic Times
The recent changes in global oil prices and the government's plans to go ahead with dismantling of the Administered Pricing Mechanism merit focussed attention on our strategies for management of the hydrocarbon industry in India and plans for ensuring security of energy supply.
Petroleum sector reforms: progress and prospects
05 Oct 2001 |
Asha Ram Sihag2
| The Hindu Business Line
The 31 March 2002, deadline of dismantling the Administered pricing mechanism for petro-products is now quite near and the question being asked is whether the Government is prepared for this final step. Seeking to lay these doubts at rest, the Petroleum Minister has declared that he is proceeding according to schedule. However, while inaugurating a seminar organised by TERI on August 31, he pointed out that there were many issues that needed to be resolved.
Evolving relationships under the new regulatory regime: the regulators and the government
01 Oct 2001 |
Mr Saif Hyder Hasan
| Regulateri (10)
The ongoing reforms in the power sector have brought in a change in the roles of players who have been providing policy directions, regulating and running the sector for over 50 years. New institutional entities are also getting established. A healthy relationship between these institutions is crucial to ensure sustained development of the sector and to realize the goals of reforms. This calls for not only a clear delineation of functions between the different functionaries but also for proper interpretation in implementation. In a transitional phase, this might pose some problems especially when each one is trying to adjust to its new role. The approach and attitude of the personnel concerned could also be an issue in this regard. An understanding of these from the perspective of the functionaries is important. TERI has recently taken up a study in this regard, with the support of the United Nations Development Program, which will address these relationship issues as well as the strategy for the evolution of the regulatory set-up in the power and telecom sectors. This article presents some of the findings, based on personal interactions with a number of stakeholders, on the relationship between the government and the regulators in the power sector in performing the crucial function of tariff setting.