July 8, 2009: Energy Policies of India, China and the United States

Bridging Nations hosted a panel event on Wednesday, July 8th, 2009, to discuss the overall energy policies of India, China, and the U.S., as well as the major factors impacting policy. Featured panelists included:

1. Dr. Carla P. Freeman - China

   Associate Director of China Studies, Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies

2. Dr. Anil K. Malhotra - India

   Former Regional Energy Adviser for Asia Region in the World Bank

3. Dr. William B. Bonvillian – U.S.

   Director of MIT’s Washington, DC Office; Former senior advisor in the U.S. Senate.

4. Mr. Guy Caruso – Discussant

   Senior Advisor in the Energy and National Security Program, CSIS

Dr. Freeman began the presentations with a discussion of China’s energy policy, which she indicated was an ambitious and aggressive one, both internally and globally. She stated that the primary factors that influence energy policy in the People’s Republic are: Economic Growth, Pollution, and the ambition to be the number one global super power, primarily through innovation. At present, she noted, China is the world’s leading producer of renewable energy, and the country invested around $12 billion in 2007, a figure that Dr. Freeman argued would continue to increase.

Dr. Freeman showed that China is using Hydropower, Wind Power, and Solar Power effectively for its economic transformations and energy security. For example, the country may meet all of its electricity demands from Wind Power alone, by 2030. She concluded with a quote from Chinese President Hu Jintao that summarizes the significance China places on renewable energy: “Developing renewable energy is vigorously necessary for taking up the front line in the new round of global energy revolution.”

Dr. Malhotra discussed India’s energy policy by opening with the assertion that, while India is still in the nascent stage as far as renewable energy is concerned, energy consumption is likely to be doubled by 2020. Economic Growth, he argued, is one of the primary factors that impacts India’s energy policy. Likewise, Energy Conservation and Energy Sources drive energy policy, as India continues to focus on increasing domestic energy resources and protecting its available ones. Dr. Malhotra explained that for these reasons, the Indian government envisages options that utilize Hydropower, Wind Power, Nuclear Power, and Solar Power in particular, to meet the energy requirements.

Dr. Bonvillian concluded the presentations with a discussion of U.S. energy policy, which he noted is centered largely on the creation of green jobs, the expansion of renewable and non-renewable resources, and efforts to educate the masses on the importance of green jobs in the future. He explained that green jobs, geopolitics, and price fluctuations are the most significant factors in directing U.S. energy policy, and that decreasing a dependency on foreign oil plays a role in each of these factors.

Dr. Bonvillian concluded with the a quote of President Obama’s, which highlights the concentration of U.S. energy policy on the creation of green jobs: “We can remain one of the world's leading importers of foreign oil, or we can make the investments that would allow us to become the world's leading exporter of renewable energy. We can let the jobs of tomorrow be created abroad, or we can create those jobs right here in America and lay the foundation for lasting prosperity.”

At the conclusion of the presentations by Drs. Freeman, Malhotra, and Bonvillian, Mr. Guy Caruso discussed the presentations of the energy policies of China, India, and the United States, indicating both similarities and differences in approach and execution of each country’s respective energy policies. He concentrated largely on the factors that have the greatest effect on energy policy, Geopolitics, Economic Growth, and Available Resources. Mr. Caruso concluded with a short discussion of how these countries may look by 2020 and 2030, based on current energy policies.