Debt in South Asia’s power sectors is now endemic

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Liquefied Natural Gas ◽  
Cost Recovery ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Power Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transmission And Distribution

Subject Debt in South Asia's power sectors. Significance A lack of cost recovery from power generation in India and other South Asian countries is creating unmanageable debts for transmission and distribution companies. While further investment could facilitate the improvements needed to reduce system losses, electrification programmes are increasing the deficit. Impacts Government attempts to raise power sector capital will likely fall disproportionately on industry via higher industrial electricity tariffs. Electrification at the expense of system improvements will detract from reliability. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh will all import more liquefied natural gas (LNG).

South Asian gas demand and imports are set to rise

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Liquefied Natural Gas ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Energy Mix ◽  
Gas Supply

Subject South Asia's gas use outlook. Significance Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is to assume much greater importance in the South Asian energy mix, aiding the control of greenhouse gas emissions growth, but creating new import dependencies. Impacts The development of LNG import infrastructure will reduce the focus on regional pipelines. Improved gas supply will boost industry, power generation and gas use in transportation. South Asia’s gas imports will rise.

China's coal use will grow despite energy transition

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Power Generation ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Liquefied Natural Gas ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The North ◽  
Chinese Coal

Subject The outlook for China's power generation sector. Significance Electricity consumption in the first ten months of the year rose by 6.7% year-on-year, up from a 5.0% increase in 2016, suggesting that China's electricity consumption will grow at the fastest rate this year since 2013. Impacts Coal-to-gas-switching in northern China introduces a seasonal element of new demand to the global liquefied natural gas (LNG) market. China is likely to build new LNG import capacity in the north or reconsider a second major Russian gas pipeline, the Altai project. Despite the coal-to-gas switching, stronger economic growth will see Chinese coal use and greenhouse gas emissions rise.

Qatar crisis may curtail South Asian migrant labour

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Gulf Cooperation Council ◽  
Liquefied Natural Gas ◽  
Diplomatic Relations ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Migrant Labour

Subject The Qatar crisis has an impact on South Asian migrant labour Significance On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic relations with Qatar and imposed a blockade, claiming that Qatar supports terrorism and interferes in the internal affairs of its neighbours. On June 23, Qatar was presented with a list of 13 demands to be fulfilled for relations to be restored. With Qatar unlikely to be willing or able to meet those demands, the Gulf faces a prolonged stand-off with economic and social ramifications for Qatar’s South Asian labour force. Impacts The future of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is in jeopardy. Heightened regional tensions are likely, with military confrontations between Saudi Arabia and Iran possible. Qatar may increase exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to South Asian countries.

Gas find will test Mauritania president's two-term vow

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Iron Ore ◽  
Electricity Demand ◽  
Liquefied Natural Gas ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Scale ◽  
Fiscal Revenue ◽  
First Time

Significance The 33,000 square kilometres of acreage includes the Tortue field, which is estimated to contain more than 15 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas. The deposit offers both countries the chance to become substantial offshore hydrocarbons exporters for the first time. Impacts The project will transform Mauritania from a small-scale hydrocarbons producer into an exporter on international scale. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) will diversify Mauritania's export and fiscal revenue base -- currently reliant on iron ore, gold and fish. Exports will be the priority, but electricity demand is rising in Mauritania and Senegal; some gas may be used to fuel power generation.

Gas prices expose Europe’s energy vulnerability

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Central Banks ◽  
Liquefied Natural Gas ◽  
Electricity Price ◽  
Energy Prices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Indigenous Production ◽  
Europe Today ◽  
The Cost

Significance The cost of gas-fired generation sets the electricity price in much of Europe today. Falling indigenous production has left Europe reliant on gas imports and exposed it to global liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices set by fast-recovering China. This has left retail-only electricity suppliers vulnerable and increases the risk that falling disposable incomes will undermine post-pandemic recovery. Impacts EU carbon allowance prices will stay strong. Higher energy prices will stoke inflation amid a fragile recovery, posing a dilemma for central banks. Rising gas prices have had ancillary but potentially alarming impacts as some fertiliser and CO2 producers have shut in production.

Sustainability assessment of gas based power generation using a life cycle assessment approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 826-841 ◽  
Author(s):  
Binita Shah ◽  
Seema Unnikrishnan
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Power Plant ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Lca Methodology ◽  
Iso 14040 ◽  
Content Type

Purpose India is a developing economy along with an increasing population estimated to be the largest populated country in about seven years. Simultaneously, its power consumption is projected to increase more than double by 2020. Currently, the dependence on coal is relatively high, making it the largest global greenhouse gas emitting sector which is a matter of great concern. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the environmental impacts of the natural gas electricity generation in India and propose a model using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. Design/methodology/approach LCA is used as a tool to evaluate the environmental impact of the natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plant, as it adopts a holistic approach towards the whole process. The LCA methodology used in this study follows the ISO 14040 and 14044 standards (ISO 14040: 2009; ISO 14044: 2009). A questionnaire was designed for data collection and validated by expert review primary data for the annual environmental emission was collected by personally visiting the power plant. The study follows a cradle to gate assessment using the CML (2001) methodology. Findings The analysis reveals that the main impacts were during the process of combustion. The Global warming potential is approximately 0.50 kg CO2 equivalents per kWh of electricity generation from this gas-based power plant. These results can be used by stakeholders, experts and members who are authorised to probe positive initiative for the reduction of environmental impacts from the power generation sector. Practical implications Considering the pace of growth of economic development of India, it is the need of the hour to emphasise on the patterns of sustainable energy generation which is an important subject to be addressed considering India’s ratification to the Paris Climate Change Agreement. This paper analyzes the environmental impacts of gas-based electricity generation. Originality/value Presenting this case study is an opportunity to get a glimpse of the challenges associated with gas-based electricity generation in India. It gives a direction and helps us to better understand the right spot which require efforts for the improvement of sustainable energy generation processes, by taking appropriate measures for emission reduction. This paper also proposes a model for gas-based electricity generation in India. It has been developed following an LCA approach. As far as we aware, this is the first study which proposes an LCA model for gas-based electricity generation in India. The model is developed in line with the LCA methodology and focusses on the impact categories specific for gas-based electricity generation.

COVID-19 vaccination in South Asia: a call for responsible leadership among SAARC countries

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amlan Haque ◽  
Md Shamirul Islam
Keyword(s):  
South Asian ◽  
Regional Cooperation ◽  
Responsible Leadership ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
The South ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Life Saving ◽  
Regional Leadership ◽  
Future Challenges

Purpose Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has presented an opportunity to set aside traditional regional collaborations and take responsible leadership to overcome difficult times. This paper aims to explore the current COVID-19 vaccination progress and pandemic status for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries and suggests responsible leadership to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and to think beyond. Design/methodology/approach This paper offers a viewpoint of the current COVID-19 vaccination among eight SAARC nations. It scrutinises the recent COVID-19 vaccination statistics for the eight South Asian countries based on Web-based analytics and comparative analysis until 28 August 2021. Findings This paper calls for collaborative decisions and responsible actions for policymakers in the SAARC countries to deal with the COVID-19 vaccination crisis. When South Asian countries are fraught with the increasing number of populations with COVID-19 cases, deaths and acute shortage of life-saving vaccines, it is time for their national and SAARC leaders to strengthen regional cooperations and initiate collaborative actions. The paper demonstrates that implementing responsible leadership can result in favourable outcomes for individuals, organisations, regions and the world. Moreover, this paper suggests SAARC, through responsible actions, has the potentiality to overcome the current crisis of COVID-19 vaccination and enhance the regional sustainability of the South Asian nations. Originality/value This paper delivers information about the present developing situation of COVID-19 vaccination in SAARC countries, how the governments and regional leadership are handling and future challenges that have been raised and can be overcome effectively. This paper can be helpful for the policymakers and SAARC leaders for effective public health interventions in the region and to develop a recovery roadmap for the sustainable economic zone.

Algeria-Morocco pipeline closure could add to tensions

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Liquefied Natural Gas ◽  
East Mediterranean ◽  
Content Type

Significance The pipeline transit agreement is set to expire at the end of October. It comes as tensions between Morocco and Algeria have escalated, with the latter cutting diplomatic ties with Rabat and closing its airspace to Moroccan airplanes. Impacts Algeria will argue that trans-Morocco gas can be replaced with extra volumes via the Medgaz line and with liquefied natural gas. The supply implications mainly affect Spain and Morocco, and will have little relevance for other European gas projects. In the East Mediterranean, the costs of a pipeline to Europe remain prohibitively high.

New Tanzanian government’s focus may shift

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Rare Earths ◽  
Liquefied Natural Gas ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Development Agenda

Significance Magufuli and the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) have entered 2021 on a high, having swept the October 31 elections and essentially removed all vestiges of opposition to their power. They now need to deliver on their ambitious development agenda. Impacts Crackdowns against the opposition, civil society and other critics will intensify. Persistent bottlenecks in government suggest progress towards a flagship USD30bn liquefied natural gas project may remain slow. Reports that Tanzania is close to finalising a deal for its first ever rare earths mine could give Magufuli’s agenda an early boost.

Literature review on effect of microfinance institutions on poverty in South Asian countries and their sustainability

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Prashant Kumar Gupta ◽  
Seema Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Microfinance Institutions ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Exclusion Criteria ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effect

PurposeThe authors present a systematic literature review on microfinance institutions’ (MFIs) effect on poverty and how they can ensure their sustainability. The purpose of this article is to review the effect of MFIs on poverty in South Asian countries. The analysis and review of the selected corpus of literature also provide avenues for future research.Design/methodology/approachA total of 95 papers from 49 journals in 4 academic libraries and publishers were systematically studied and classified. The authors define the keywords and the inclusion/exclusion criteria for the identification of papers. The review includes an analysis of the selected papers that give insights about publications with respect to themes, number of themes covered in individual publications, nations, scope, methodology, number of methods used and publication trend.FindingsThe literature indicates the positive effect of microfinance on poverty but with a varying degree on various categories of poor. The relation between poverty and microfinance is, however, dependent on the nation under the scanner. While sustainability and outreach co-exist, their trade-off is still a matter of debate.Originality/valueThis is the first systematic literature review on MFIs’ effect on poverty in South Asian nations. Additionally, the authors discuss the literature on the trade-off between sustainability and outreach for MFIs.

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