Analysis of Bhutan's energy policies in relation to energy security and climate change: Policy perspective

Sonam Gyeltshen

Energy Policy, 2022, vol. 170, issue C

Abstract: Energy security is at the heart of the energy policy. Achieving energy security, however, is difficult as energy sector faces challenges due to resource depletion and climate change. It is becoming a key concern for Bhutan due to perpetual demand growth including climate change presenting formidable challenge. These developments, particularly climate change impact on renewable resources, hydropower, which is the backbone of Bhutan's energy sector, faces vulnerability issue. Given these emerging challenges, this paper presents preliminary analysis of Bhutan's energy policies from energy security perspective in the face of climate change. In doing so, key energy policies encompassing all mainstream fuels: renewable, coal, oil, and gas, were reviewed. Energy security aspect is sparingly addressed in renewable energy policies. There are no policies related to mainstream fossil fuels from energy dimension. However, import of fossil fuels have increased exposing to price volatility, prompting affordability concerns. The energy policies lack integration of climate factor given the increased emission from fossil fuels and development of hydro projects in highly vulnerable river basin. There is dearth of an integrated energy policy as existing policies are disintegrated, and specific to each fuel, and therefore lacks coordination and synergy.

Keywords: Energy security; Energy policy; Climate change; Hydropower; Mainstream fuels; Bhutan (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421522004426
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:enepol:v:170:y:2022:i:c:s0301421522004426

DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2022.113223

Access Statistics for this article

Energy Policy is currently edited by N. France

More articles in Energy Policy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().