Book Review : Energy Wars The Unknown Battle Fields

An important issue the author discusses in this book is the existence of Asian premium  (A special tariff charged from Asian countries for crude oil), which is unknown to even a  reasonably learned person

P Sandeep
Resources, in human history, are always the centre of stiff competition, quarrels and wars. In our present world order, great gambits and cold or bloody wars revolve around oil and gas, a scarce natural resource. The book titled The Lobbyists; Untold Story of Oil, Gas and Energy Sector written by Rajeev Jayaswal will take us to some of the unknown battle fields of these energy wars. Though, the dynamics of international energy sector is the context of the book, it mainly discusses about the Indian energy sector and its behind the scene maneuvers in this background.
An important issue the author discusses in this book is the existence of Asian premium (A special tariff charged from Asian countries for crude oil), which is unknown to even a reasonably learned person. From any point of view either economic or logistics, the concept of Asian premium is an absolute absurdity. For instance, today the countries geographically closer to gulf producers are paying more than the geographically distant countries for oil.  If it is not an absurdity what else is it? According to the author the Indian Ministers in charge of Petroleum and Natural Gas (P&NG)  Ministry have discussed this issue with energy block countries many times in the past but in vain. He says, some countries even were not ready to accept the existence of any such premium. In the opinion of the incumbent Minister of State (I/C) for P&NG, Government of India Dharmendra Pradhan, “There is a strong feeling that Asian countries like India should receive Asian dividend rather than paying Asian premium while making bulk purchase of crude”.   

Another important discussion of the book exposes the decision making process and style of political leadership as far as energy sector is concerned. It also reveals dynamics of various pressure groups of this sector, both domestic and international, in this context. Perhaps after reading the book you may feel that Dr Manmohan Singh is a villain at least so far as India’s energy sector is concerned.  According to the book Mr Singh literally paralysed the Ministry of P&NG by his frequent interventions. It says his first interference in the Ministry and the change he made was to satisfy the US interest, and the intentions behind the later decisions are unknown. Further, it may give us an impression that his Government jeopardised our energy security and compromised on national interests.
 A portion of the book is dedicated to discuss about tussle between Ambani brothers Anil and Mukesh. This feud between Anil and Mukesh was not just a family one. Beyond that, it involved interest of nation and one of its most valuable natural resources, the natural gas. The author provides a detailed account of behind the curtain dramas involving political and officers’ establishment in this issue. His accounts will offer a rare insight into gambles in the power corridors.
Of course, as its title indicates the book has various stories of lobbyists and their influence on decision making process directly or indirectly. The author says lobbyists are there in various forms as journalists, lawyers, businessmen, executives of industry chambers, NGO’s and also as politicians. They work in tandem in various forms and thrive on information. Information is money. Hence they are not averse of resorting to any means to obtain vital informations. The book says corporate espionage was prevalent in the P&NG Ministry for a long time. Successive Ministers tried to weed out this menace from its corridors for long but failed miserably. Nevertheless, Jayaswal says Dharmendra Pradhan succeeded where his predecessors failed. He says, the Modi government was determined to weed out lobbyists from the corridors of power and it became evident when the Crime Branch of Delhi police arrested five persons on the charge of stealing documents from Oil Ministry. The arrested include corporate executives, journalists and employees of Oil Ministry. Thereafter, the Government took various steps to ward off any effort of espionage by lobbyists. The book also refers to the proactive steps taken by the Modi government to ensure India’s energy security.  
The corruption involving
officials is another important point discussed in the book. The allegations against Petronet LNG officials have been discussed in this  context. This book by Jayaswal is a different experience and such books are rare in India. Therefore, we can hope this well researched and
beautifully written  book will invoke a debate on  the subjects discussed in it, particularly on the issue of Asian premium.                            n