Critical Thinking on the Energy Security of Nepal

Abstract

Changing geopolitical scenarios with the emergence of new Asian tigers, China and India, and political conflicts (Russia-Ukraine; Israel-Palestine-Iran) are creating different impacts in different sectors of the world. The Russia-Ukraine war has again reminded us of the past energy crisis and raised concern over energy security. The spillover effect of war compelled the countries, mainly European countries and emerging big economies, to focus on alternative sources of energy like nuclear energy and solar energy, as well as coal extraction. Small countries are always in a socio-economic trap due to fear of energy insecurity. The landlocked country of Nepal has already faced an energy crisis and its economic impact. Such a crisis raises the question of energy independence and threats to national security, like economic security, border security, resource security, and so forth. In this context, the paper has tried to seek answers to the research question, "Is Nepal secure in the energy sector?" For this, the energy security index and energy security indicators are reviewed based on past research studies, and indicators for Nepal are determined. Indicators for the energy security of Nepal are selected as per the availability of data and suitability to Nepal. Secondary data are used for analyzing the overall scenario of energy security in Nepal. The findings showed that though the condition of energy poverty in Nepal has improved, the prevailing energy data and indicators showed challenges in energy security in Nepal.