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Mains Paper 2: IR | India & its neighborhood- relations
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:
Prelims level: Petronet LNG Ltd (PLL), liquefied natural gas (LNG), SAARC Energy Initiative, SAARC electricity grid
Mains level: India’s energy diplomacy
Establishing clout in regional energy scenario
- State-run Petronet LNG Ltd (PLL) is planning to set up liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Mauritius
- It may boost India’s role in creating a new energy security architecture for its neighbors
- PLL is also exploring a similar opportunity in the Maldives
Petronet LNG Ltd (PLL)
- Petronet is promoted by four Indian state-owned firms—GAIL (India) Ltd, Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd, Indian Oil Corp. Ltd and Oil and Natural Gas Corp. Ltd
- The firm set up India’s first LNG terminal at Dahej in Gujarat
Importance of these terminals
- These terminals will reconvert natural gas shipped in a liquid form into gas and would help India exert economic and strategic influence in the region
- India, the world’s fourth-largest LNG importer, has been trying to leverage the glut in global LNG supplies
SAARC Energy initiative
- India is also championing for a South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Energy Initiative to create sub-regional hydrocarbon infrastructure such as gas networks
- This is along the lines of the SAARC electricity grid which envisages meeting electricity demand in the region
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