Key Terms & Concepts — UPSC Mains
Energy Security
"The uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price to sustain economic growth and national security"
Energy security refers to a nation's ability to ensure reliable, adequate, and affordable access to energy supplies — including crude oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear fuel, and renewable sources — to meet current and future demand without disruption. It encompasses diversification of energy sources and suppliers, development of domestic production capacity, maintenance of strategic reserves, investment in energy infrastructure, and management of geopolitical risks to supply routes. The International Energy Agency (IEA) defines it as the uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price.
India is the world's third-largest energy consumer and imports approximately 85-88% of its crude oil and about 50% of its natural gas, making energy security a first-order strategic concern. UPSC tests this extensively under GS3 (Energy — infrastructure, conservation, environmental pollution) and GS2 (International Relations — energy diplomacy, OPEC, IEA). India's energy transition to renewables (500 GW non-fossil capacity target by 2030) is a key Mains topic.
- 1 India's crude oil import dependence is 85-88% (2024-25); top suppliers include Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Russia, UAE, and the US
- 2 India's primary energy mix (2024-25) — coal ~55%, oil ~27%, natural gas ~6%, renewables ~10%, nuclear ~1.5%
- 3 The International Energy Agency (IEA), established in 1974 after the oil crisis, coordinates energy security policy among 31 member countries; India is an associate member (not a full member)
- 4 India's National Energy Policy framework aims for energy justice — balancing affordability, availability, sustainability, and efficiency (the four pillars)
- 5 Key chokepoints affecting India's energy security — Strait of Hormuz (20% of global oil transit), Strait of Malacca (25% of global trade), Bab el-Mandeb
- 6 India's renewable energy installed capacity crossed 200 GW (including large hydro) in 2024; target of 500 GW non-fossil capacity by 2030
- 7 The International Solar Alliance (ISA), co-founded by India and France (2015), headquartered in Gurugram — promotes solar energy adoption in sunshine-rich countries
- 8 India's ethanol blending programme (20% ethanol in petrol by 2025-26) reduces oil import bill and enhances energy self-sufficiency
The Russia-Ukraine war (2022) disrupted global energy markets, pushing European gas prices up 400%. India pivoted to purchase discounted Russian crude oil — increasing Russian crude imports from 2% to over 35% of total imports — demonstrating pragmatic energy diplomacy to protect energy security.