Energy Studies
ORF Centre for Resources Management

The ORF Centre for Resources Management is an autonomous unit within the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi. The initial focus of the work carried out by the Centre is on India's immediate challenges in the energy sector: the pursuit of economic efficiency, energy security and environmental sustainability. The Centre's ambitious agenda of emerging as the Nations key repository of information and knowledge is pursued through studies that are internally funded or commissioned by other agencies, through organisation of seminars with participation of world renown experts and discourses with key thought leaders and policy makers in the field of energy.

Key Projects & Publications

• I-Cubed Model: The model is designed to provide reliable information about the economy, environment and energy effects of broad spectrum of issues ranging from energy subsidies to demographic changes in an integrated manner. It is a multi-sector, inter-temporal general equilibrium model of the Indian economy. The model development is a joint effort of the Observer Research Foundation and the Brookings Institution of the US. It bridges the gaps between three areas of research- Econometric general equilibrium modelling, International trade theory and modern macroeconomics- by incorporating the best features of each. The project has entered Phase II of model development.
• Development of Energy demand forecasts for the Planning Commission, Government of India: The Commission's Report on Integrated Energy Policy in which Dr. Kirit S Parikh, Member (Energy), Planning Commission & Chairman, Expert Committee on Integrated Energy Policy quoted "I also thank Dr. Vivek Karandikar and Dr. Prasanna Dani of the Observer Research Foundation for their help in developing energy supply scenarios." These Energy demand forecasts were developed using a multisectoral, multi period optimizing linear programming model. The model developed by Observer Research Foundation was upgraded and the scenarios developed under the guidance of Dr. Kirit Parikh by a team from ORF.
• A book on GCC-India cooperation in the oil and gas sector - The book aims to explore the emerging pattern of interdependence between India, a giant consumer and importer of oil and gas and the GCC region, the main world supplier as well as the emerging energy related tendencies and their implications for their bilateral relations. The book will be available in 2-3 months.
• Statistical Handbook on Energy: A compact and concise handbook on Energy containing past and current statistics on the Indian Energy Sector. Copies will be available soon.
• Oil in US Energy Policy: Searching for Clues of Influence': Report based on Congressional Fellowship, US Energy Policy and Implications for India.

Round Tables/ Conferences

Indian Themes

• 'Power Sector Deregulation' - A summary paper presentation by Mr. Chris Hansen from Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, London on March 16, 2004.
• Book release by Shri Mani Shankar Aiyar titled 'India's Energy Security: Prospects for Cooperation with Extended Neighbourhood' on March 16, 2005.
• Brainstorming Session on 'India's Energy Security: Major Challenges', January 25, 2006.
• National Conference on 'India's Energy Security: Major Challenges' on February 14-15, 2006.
• A lecture delivered by Dr. K. C. Pant, Former Defence Minister & former Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, on 'Fifty years of India's Energy Policy' on July 14, 2006.
• A Round Table discussion on 'The Impact of High Crude Oil Prices & Challenges in Pricing of Petroleum Products' on August 14, 2006.
• A Round Table discussion on 'What do Falling Crude Prices mean for India's Fiscal Deficit' on February 9, 2007.
• A presentation on 'Energy Security: Present and Future' by Mr. Ajit C. Kapadia, Vice Chairman, Centre for Fuel Studies & Research on February 27, 2007.

International Themes

• Address by Mr J H Harosh, Vice President of Tahal Consulting Engineering, on 'Sustainable Development of Ground & Surface Water' on May 3, 2004.
• Talk on by Mr. Usman Aminuddin, Former Minister of Petroluem & Natural Resources, Pakistan on 'Present Status & Future Prospects for the Development of Oil & Gas sector in South East Asia' on July 2, 2004.
• Round Table Meeting on 'Pipeline for Peace' chaired by Ambassador S. K. Lamba- on July 3, 2004.
• Seminar on 'India-Russia Hydrocarbon Cooperation: Opportunities & Challenges' jointly organized by ORF and ONGC Videsh on January 15, 2005.
• Lecture by Dr. A.F. Alhajji, an Energy Scholar from Gulf, on 'The US Energy policy and the Oil Industry within a Global Context: The Contradictions of a Great Power' on July 26, 2005.
• Round Table discussion with Kazakhstan Delegation on January 17, 2006.
• Round Table discussion with delegation from Saudi Aramco on 'Global Oil Demand: Price Implications for India' on March 23, 2006.

Reports & Publications

• ORF Energy News Monitor- The weekly publication of the centre covers analysis articles as well as national and international news on energy. The year 2006 is the third continuous year of publication of the News Letter.
• Key Topics covered in past issues of the News Letter:

Articles on India's Energy Sector

• Why Gundia Hydro Electric Project Is Not Needed: An analysis of its impact and benign alternatives for Karnataka
• by Shankar Sharma, Consultant to Electricity Industry.
• Wind Power in India: Myth and Reality by Hrudanand Misra,Research Assistant, ORF.
• Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Energy Security by Shankar Sharma, Consultant to Electricity Industry.
• Public's Opposition to Electricity Tariff Increase by Shankar Sharma, Consultant to Electricity Industry.
• Dawn of Indian Nuclear Era and Vision for Today by Maniyar Brijesh P., Research Assistant, ORF
• Towards an Energy Sector Competition Policy in India: Insights from International Practices by Dr. Samir Ranjan Pradhan, Visiting Research Associate, RIS.
• Nuclear Deal: A Blunder bigger than Enron? by ORF Energy Team.
• Independence for Energy Prices- by ORF Energy Team.
• Ultra Mega Power Projects: A Snapshot- Compiled from a presentation on the website of the Ministry of Power.
• The Government's Addiction to Oil- by ORF Energy Team.
• New and Renewable Energy Policy Statement- 2005-Comments by Shankar Sharma, Consultant to Electricity Industry.
• Petroleum Subsidies: Let us know our targets- by ORF Energy Team.
• Pricing of Petroleum Products: A Catch 22 Situation? by ORF Energy Team
• Mega Sized Coal Fired Power Projects in West Coast by Shankar Sharma, Consultant to Electricity Industry.
• India's Hydrocarbon Scenario: A Journey from Protected Past to Competitive Future by Dr. Samir Ranjan Pradhan, Visiting Research Associate, RIS.
• Bio-Energy: From Margins to Mainstream by Dr H N Chanakya, Principal Research Scientist, IIS, Bangalore.
• India's Reforms in the Hydrocarbon Sector- What has been Accomplished? What Remains to be Done? by ORF Energy Team
• Captive Power Generation to Narrow Demand-Supply Gap by K K Roy Chowdhury-Consultant Energy, ORF
• India's first Tool to Analyse Economy-Energy-Environment Policies by ORF Energy Team
• Prototype Technologies for Application in Power Networks & Industry, by Ms Shruti Bhatia, Deputy Director (Energy), CII
• Kyoto Protocol & Perpetuation of Poverty, by Barun Mitra, Director of Liberty Institute, New Delhi
• Climate Change, CDM & Sustainable Power Development, by K. K. Roy Chowdhury, Consultant -Energy, ORF
• Power Sector Reforms: Digging Worries, No Solutions? by K. K. Roy Chowdhury, Consultant -Energy, ORF
• Dabhol Revival: Good, Bad or Ugly? by ORF Energy Team
• Electrifying the Unelectrified India, by K K Roy Chowdhury, Consultant Energy, ORF
• The Second Coming of Natural Gas in India, by ORF Energy Team
• Carbon Trading Offers High Earning Opportunities to India Inc., by K K Roy Chowdhury, Consultant Energy, ORF
• Oil Price: Where is it Heading? by ORF Energy Team
• The Gleneagles Communiqué: For a More Energy-Secured Developing Nations? by K K Roy Chowdhury, Consultant Energy, ORF
• The Radiance of Nuclear Energy, by ORF Energy Team
• India's Energy Future: A need for Multilateral Oil Diplomacy and Energy Mix, by Debojyoti Das -Research Scholar, Center for Studies in Science Policy, JNU
• Stepping Out of Gas Pedestal is Unrealistic, by Rajiv Jayaram, ORF
• Energy security in India: Issues and Policy Perspectives, by Dr. Samir R. Pradhan, Visiting Research Associate, RIS.
• Balancing Energy, by Mr Tarun Shukla ? Senior Correspondent, The Pioneer.
• Knowledge Base: Key to Energy Security, by Akhilesh Sati, Research Assistant, ORF
• Draft Integrated Energy Policy: The External Dimension, by Dr. Samir Ranjan Pradhan, Visiting Research Associate, RIS.
• Gas Today Uranium Tomorrow, by Akhilesh Sati, Research Assistant, ORF
• Rising Crude Oil Prices: Impact on India & Appropriate Policy Responses, by Dr. Samir Pradhan, Visiting Research Associate, RIS.
• Opportunities for Investment in Indian Hydrocarbon Sector- (Summary of Presentation by Directorate General of Hydrocarbons at an ORF-OVL event titled "Indo-Russian Hydrocarbon Co-Operation: Opportunities & Challenges" on 15th January, 2005)
• Biodiesel as Diesel Substitute: Assessing the Potential in Light of India's Air Quality Goals & Energy Security Imperatives, by Rajesh Debroy from Central Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Environment & Forest.
• Hydrocarbon Resource Ownership: Revenue Sharing between Centre & States, by ORF Energy Team
• The future of Electricity Supply in Karnataka, by Shankar Sharma- Consultant to Electricity Industry.
• Black Coal- Needs Healing Touch, by G L Tandon (Padma Bhusan), Former Chairman- CIL.
• Petroleum Pricing in India: Brief History, Current Developments and the Way Forward, by Dr. Samir Ranjan Pradhan, Visiting Research Associate, RIS.
• Good and bad for Energy Sector: Budget 2006-07 Proposals, by ORF Energy Team.
• Pipeline Politics by Gurmeet Kanwal, Senior Fellow, ORF.
• Industrial Energy Efficiency: Has Policy led to Performance? by Lydia Powell, Director, Centre for Resources Management, ORF.
• India's Energy Security: A Quantitative Analysis, by Vivek Karandikar, Vice President, Centre for Resources Management, ORF.
• Fuel for the Poor: Sense from the Census, by Lydia Powell, Director, Centre for Resources Management, ORF.
• Motive Power: Where will it take us? by ORF Energy Team.
• Market Intervention: Wrong Response to Oil Price Hikes, by ORF Energy Team.
• Value Creation in the Upstream Petroleum Industry, by Lydia Powell, Director, Centre for Resources Management, ORF.
• Bust the Free Power Myth for Agriculture, by P Abraham, Former Secretary, Ministry of Power, GoI.
• Free Power to All Pump Owners: Fit Example of Bad Governance, by Girish Sant, Prayas Energy Group(Pune).
• Is the Pace of Power Reforms Slowing Down? by P Abraham, Former Secretary, Ministry of Power, GoI.
• Options for Providing Power to the Poor Farmer, by Jayant Dev, Former Member, Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC).
• Nuclear Energy: Stagnation or Renaissance? by ORF Energy Team.
• Biomass: From Margins to Mainstream, by ORF Energy Team.
• The Role of Regulatory Authorities in a Deregulated Economy, by P K Doraiswamy, IAS (Retired).
• The Indian Oil & Gas Sector: A Brief Synopsis, by ORF Energy Team.
• Commercial Nuclear Power for India: An Imperative Reassessment, by Manpreet Sethi, Sr. Research Fellow, Centre for Air Power Studies.
• Wind Energy: Are Environmentalist Dreams Consistent with Reality? by ORF Energy Team.
• The Rationale of Renewable Energy, by Mr P. K. Doraiswamy, IAS (Retired).
• The Fuel of the Future, by K K Roy Chowdhury, Consultant- Energy, ORF.
• Solar Success in Sagar Island, by Manish Vaid, Research Assistant, ORF.
• Natural Gas in India: Prisoner's Dilemma for Producers, Consumers & Regulators, by ORF Energy Team.
• Non-Conventional Energy & Sustainable Development, by K K Roy Chowdhury, Consultant- Energy, ORF.

Articles on International Themes:

• Energy Policy: Is there Anything New? -ORF Exclusive Report from USA.
• The 11th Commandment: 'Thou Shall Have No Emission Caps?'- ORF Exclusive Report from USA.
• Sri Lanka's Electricity Sector: Past, Present and Future by Sithara Fernando, Research Scholar, JNU.
• Energy Hierarchy by ORF Energy Team.
• The Coal-Nuclear Strategy: Questioning Assumptions- by ORF Energy Team.
• Samsun-Ceyhan to follow Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan by Kulpash Konyrova, Correspondent (Energy), Republic of Kazakhstan.
• Economics of a Political Pipeline by Lydia Powell, Director, Centre for Resources Management, ORF.
• Energy Security: Yours, Mine or Ours? by ORF Energy Team.
• 'Super Spikes' in Oil Price? by ORF Energy Team.
• Nuclear Power: China and India on the Fast Track, by Sithara Fernando, Research Scholar, JNU.
• Caspian Oil Set for Fast Flow to the West, by ORF Energy Team.
• A Realistic Dream, by Najeeb Jung, Director, Energy Research, ORF.
• Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline: Oil or Politics? by Vasily Zubkov, Economic Commentator, RIA Novosti.
• United States Trade and Environment Policy- Its Evolution by K. K. Roy Chowdhury, Consultant -Energy, ORF.
• India, China and Russia: The New Axis of Oil? by Sithara Fernando, Research Scholar, JNU.
• 'Will Nuclear Fusion Save Humankind?' by Vasily Zubkov, Economic Commentator, RIA Novosti.
• What ails Asian Oil Premium? Some Reflections and Suggestions, by Dr. Samir Ranjan Pradhan, Visiting Research Associate, RIS.
• All's not lost in Kazakhstan by Tarun Shukla, Senior Correspondent, The Pioneer.
• Three Oil Majors and Putin, by Peter Lavelle, Political Commentator, RIA Novosti.
• 'Globalisation and Convergence of Energy Security Priorities: Imperatives and Prospects for Cooperation in the Developing World', by Dr. Samir Ranjan Pradhan, Visiting Research Associate, RIS.
• Iran ? Pakistan ? India gas pipeline project and its economic and political impact, by A. Souri, Counsellor, Head of energy section, Embassy of Iran
• Global Oil Trading: Mechanisms and Lessons for Risk Management, by Dr. Samir Ranjan Pradhan, Visiting Research Associate, RIS.
• Stability, Security, and Sustainability of Asian Hydrocarbon Economics (Address by Viktor B. Khristenko, Industry and Energy Minister, of the Russian Federation during Asian Oil Ministers Round Table in New Delhi on November 25, 2005).
• Regional cooperation for Energy Security in Asia: Some Reflections, by Dr. Samir Ranjan Pradhan, Visiting Research Associate, RIS.
• Oil Industry in Saudi Arabia: A Brief History, by ORF Energy Team
• Does Iran need Nuclear Energy? by Dr. Reza Taghizadeh, Consultant/Lecturer-Glasgow
• India and Africa Energy Trade and Development Sector: Major Challenges and Prospects, by Dr. Suresh Kumar, Expert in Political Economy and Federal Politics, University of Delhi
• eciprocity in Energy Security (Excerpts from Asia-Middle East Dialogue (AMED) Working Group on political Security Issues ? Majid A. Al-Moneef, Saudi Governor in OPEC Board)
• The Central Asian Factor in India's Energy Security, by Ajish P Joy, Research Assistant ? ORF
• Energy Security: The Chinese way, by Vijay Sakhuja, Senior Fellow, ORF.
• Oil Price Subsidies: Lesson from Iran, by ORF Energy Team
• The World after Oil, by Vladimir Milo, President of the Institute of Energy Policy
• Global quest for oil assets: change in the competitive landscape, by ORF Energy Team
• Changing profile of risk in the Asian LNG markets, by ORF Energy Team
• Energy for Russia and India- 50 years after Nehru, by Irina Kozyreva, RIA Novosti
• Are Oil Companies Nearing Peak Production? by Robert Bryce
• Dollar Devaluation & the World Oil Market, by ORF Energy Team
• North South Energy Corridor? by ORF Energy Team
• Is TAP a Viable Option for India? by Ajish P Joy, Research Assistant-ORF
• Three Cheers for Kyoto Protocol, by Rajiv Jayaram

• Reforms, Restructuring & Regulation: Three 'R's for India's Energy Security- This report is based on the key recommendations that emerged out of the deliberations at National Conclave on India's Energy Security: Major Challenges organized by the Centre and held in New Delhi on 14-15 February 2006. The report has been submitted to the Government for consideration.

• North-South Energy Corridor: Kazakhstan-Iran-India- This report is a commissioned study that examines the feasibility of the North-South Transport Corridor, connecting South Asia and Europe being extended into an Energy Corridor stretching from Kazakhstan to South-East Asia via Iran & India, with the Akhtau Port in Kazakhstan at its center. The Energy Corridor is initially expected to carry Central Asian gas to an Iranian Port from where it would be transported to India either through the proposed Iran-India Pipeline (IPI) or as LNG. Copyrights for the report rests with the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India.

• Energy Security and New Challenges: This report is a compilation of deliberations at the IIES Conference 'Energy Security & New Challenges' held on 29-30 Nov. 2004 in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, in which ORF CRM staff participated.

• Energy Security through Energy Efficiency: This report is a commissioned study that aims to assist in confronting the complex challenge of moving towards energy efficiency not just by drawing attention to the gap in energy efficiency in various energy consuming segments of India as most available studies do, but by pointing out ways to bridge that gap through appropriate policy interventions.

• ORF ENM Article Series: "Review of the draft report on Integrated Energy Policy"

This critique on the Draft Report on Integrated Energy Policy was serialised in Volume-II, Issue 43-46 & 50 of ORF Energy News Monitor. In the critique, Section-I covers concept level issues, section-II identifies the gaps in the Planning Commission's draft report and lays out an action plan for filling those gaps and section-III summarizes the conclusions.

• ORF Discourse: "Fifty years of India's Energy Policy"

The lecture of Shri K. C. Pant, former defence Minister and India's first Minister for Energy, on the above topic delivered on July 14, 2006 in which key participants were from private sector, public sector, think-tanks and embassies.

• Policy Brief: "Impact of High Crude Oil Prices & Challenges of Petroleum Product Pricing"

This is the compilation of the roundtable discussion on the above topic held on August 14, 2006. The discussion was chaired by Dr. S. Narayan, former Secretary (Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Ministry of Finance) and attended by, amongst others, Prof. Arjun K. Sengupta, Member, Committee on External Affairs, Rajya Sabha, Parliament of India; Shri P. Raghavendran, President (refinery business, RIL); Shri A. N. Sinha, MD & CEO, Essar Oil; leading energy economists, representatives form academic bodies, consulting organisations, representative from leading NGOs and representatives from trade and industry associations.

• Policy Brief: "What do falling Crude Prices mean for India's Fiscal Deficit."

The ORF CRM held a focus group meeting on the above topic on February 9, 2007. Shri S C Tripathi, former Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India, chaired the discussions. Participants included stakeholders from the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, the Private Sector, the Public Sector, Research Institutions and Industry Associations. This policy brief highlights issues discussed and the broad conclusions reached.