India’s Energy Policy in The Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The increase in the number of cases of a new coronavirus infection in March 2021 pushed the central government of India to introduce tough measures, including social life. As a result, the country returned to lockdown for a while. In May, the restrictions began to be gradually lifted, but the state of Kerala, which now contains up to half of the entire infected population of India, remains in a state of lockdown. The author notes that in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, the country has faced political and economic challenges. In political terms, the N. Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has somewhat lost its influence in the regions, partly due to the introduction of unpopular restrictive measures in connection with Covid-19. Concerning the socio-economic aspect, several million labor migrants from the Middle East, who were left without means of livelihood, returned to their homeland, mainly in rural regions. Nevertheless, the popularity and authority of Prime Minister N. Modi have not changed much. The researcher believes that overcoming the coronavirus pandemic in the economy, and especially in the energy sector, is quite difficult. This is due to the fact that India imports up to 50 % of energy resources (oil, natural gas in the form of LNG), therefore it significantly depends on the world prices. The rise of the latter, in particular concerning oil and natural gas, has a direct impact on the purchasing power and cost of production. This means that it slows down the economic development of the republic, taking into account the increased share of the poor population in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, the energy policy of Modi’s government is aimed at increasing the production of renewable energy sources in the country’s energy balance. In turn, the One Nation – One Gas Network strategy is aimed at ensuring access to natural gas for the majority of the population of India. This also makes it possible to strengthen the country’s energy security in the conditions of New Delhi’s compliance with the terms of the Paris Climate Agreement (2015).

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