BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

BANGLADESH-INDIA ENERGY SECURITY COOPERATION: PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES

Author: Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, A.K.M. Reazul Hassan, Poornima Ravinathan

DOI Link: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2010v31n3a2

ABSTRACT

The demand for energy in Bangladesh and India have been increasing due to rapid urbanization, industrialization, rising incomes, and growing use of energy-intensive products. Bangladesh faces extraordinary challenges in the energy sector. It has substantial economicallyrecoverable natural gas reserves. But its energy mix is highly dependent on gas. The government of Bangladesh has prepared a proposal to set up anuclear power plantand has decided to install wind-based independent power plantsin offshore areas.On the other hand, India also faces a formidable challenge in meeting its energy needs and providingadequate and affordable energy to all sections of society in a sustainable manner. India’s energy concerns established a new dynamism when the Indian government decided to explore and execute transportation of natural gas through proposed pipelines such as Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline project, Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-Indiapipeline project and Myanmar-Bangladesh-India pipeline project. But the proposed Myanmar-Bangladesh-India pipeline project was withheld during the period of 2001-2006 due to political mismatch between Bangladesh and India. However, there are several other scopeswhich can be explored in terms of energy security cooperation on bilateral and multilateral basis. The Prime Minister of Bangladesh,Sheikh Hasina and the Prime Ministerof India,Dr. Manmohan Singh agreed in a joint communiqué in New Delhi on 13 January 2010 to put in place a comprehensive framework of cooperation for development between the two countries, encapsulating their mutually shared vision for the future, which includes cooperation in energy, among others.