Energy Infrastructure in India: Challenges and Opportunities

By : Rajarshi Majumder , Subhadip Ghosh , Bidisha Chatterjee

Page No: 21-34

Abstract
Productivity is the new buzzword for economic growth in the era of globalization, as countries with higher productivity levels enjoy a comparative advantage over their competitors. Infrastructure is critical in this quest for higher productivity, growth, and development, and energy infrastructure is one of its crucial components. Longterm planning for ensuring that energy demands are met has become an integral part of policy-making, as energy infrastructure requires a huge lump sum investment and has a long gestation period. So, capacity augmentation and installing energy infrastructure in its physical form (refineries, power plants, pipelines, distribution lines, and so on) have to be planned and executed early. In this paper, we first narrate India’s energy demand/consumption trends over the last four decades and then try to forecast future energy demands and related energy infrastructure needs over the medium to long run period of 20 years from 2020 to 2040. Total Primary Energy Consumption is expected to be more than double the current level, and electricity demand to treble. As a result, coal production, oil refining, gas importing and distribution, electricity generation, and transmission & distribution capacities all have to grow substantially. Thus, we are looking at massive infrastructure requirements for the energy production sector. Finally, policy implications are also discussed.

Authors :
Rajarshi Majumder
Professor of Economics, University of Burdwan, India.

Subhadip Ghosh
Assistant Professor, School of Business, Grant MacEwan University, Canada.

Bidisha Chatterjee
Research Scholar, Department of Economics, University of Burdwan, India.
 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32381/PROD.2022.63.01.3