Call for long-term policy on energy security

NEW DELHI: The government''s principal scientific advisor R Chidambaram on Sunday called for a long-term policy on energy security with greater role for non-conventional energy sources.
"It is necessary to have a clear vision and a long-term policy which can take care of critical issues like energy security through both conventional and non-conventional energy sources, as well as the need for global cooperation for technology," Chidambaram said at the valedictory session of Petrotech 2003 conference here.
Referring to extreme volatality in world oil markets, he underscored the need for extensive exploration and production of oil and gas in India, which is 70 per cent import dependant to meet its crude oil requirement.
Tapping of non-conventional sources of energy like coal bed methane (CBM) needs to be looked into, he said.
"In view of the vast coal reserves in the country, CBM resources need to be developed to meet the ever-growing demands of natural gas," Chidambaram said.
Stating that per capita electricity or energy consumption was an important measure of development, he said the current level of per capital energy consumption in India was extremely low as compared to world average.
"The more electricity you produce, the more are the goods you manufacture and the services you can provide and so per capita gross national product (GNP) is an important measure of development," he said, adding per capita electricity consumption had to increase many-fold before India becomes a developed nation.