Energy Security in South Asia Plus Relevance of Japanese Experience

This volume examines energy security in South Asia through a regional lens and asks what the subregion can learn from Japan’s decades of pragmatic policy, technology adoption and institution building. Beginning with demand and supply diagnostics, the book compares power-mix trajectories across Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, mapping structural bottlenecks—fuel import dependence, grid constraints, pricing distortions, governance deficits—and the costs they impose on growth and welfare. Contributors then explore Japan’s experience with efficiency standards, market design, disaster-resilient systems, and public–private coordination, identifying ideas that travel well and those that do not. Particular attention is given to cross-border power trade, hydropower potential in the Eastern Himalayas, LNG as a transition fuel, and the role of regional power exchanges in unlocking least-cost dispatch. Case chapters document how transmission interconnections, standardized contracts, and credible regulatory oversight reduce risk premiums and crowd in private finance. The volume also distills lessons from the 2011 Fukushima shock—on safety culture, contingency planning, and transparent communication—and relates them to South Asian realities. Finally, it proposes a staged cooperation agenda that blends domestic reform with regional projects, supported by development finance and calibrated risk-sharing. By linking technology, markets and institutions, the book shows how South Asia can move from chronic shortfalls to resilient, affordable and cleaner energy systems.