Rethinking energy security and services in practice: National vulnerability and three energy pathways in Tajikistan

• Published in: Energy policy Vol. 114; pp. 39 - 50
• Main Authors: Laldjebaev, Murodbek, Morreale, Stephen J., Sovacool, Benjamin K., Kassam, Karim-Aly S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2018; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Access; Central Asia; Cooperation; Development programs; Economic development; Economic factors; Economic impact; Economic wellbeing; Economics; Electricity generation; Energy; Energy development; Energy policy; Energy security; Energy services; Environmental conditions; Financial services; Heating; Imports; Infrastructure; Lighting; Mobile communication systems; Mobility; National security; Policy making; Political factors; Power; Production; Production capacity; Regional development; Risk assessment; Risk factors; Security; Sociocultural factors; Socioeconomic development; Socioeconomic factors; Sustainability; Tajikistan; Telecommunications; Transparency; Vulnerability; Water resources; Water supply; Tajikistan; Energy security; Vulnerability; Energy services; Central Asia; Risk factors; Tajikistan
• ISSN: 0301-4215; 1873-6777
• DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2017.11.058

To help answer questions about availability, accessibility, sustainability and other dimensions of energy security, the vulnerability approach concentrates the attention of policymakers on the assessment of risks associated with natural, technical, political and economic factors. This understanding, combined with a focus on energy services (e.g. lighting, heating, telecommunications, mobility, etc.) helps to prioritize actions to achieve the goal of energy security. This paper conceptualizes energy security as low vulnerability of vital energy systems and sustained provision of modern energy services. Taking Tajikistan as a case, this paper highlights key vulnerabilities including neglect of environmental conditions, insufficient energy production capacity, unreliable and expensive energy imports, dwindling power infrastructure causing technical and economic losses, inadequate transparency in the power sector, lack of regional cooperation in energy and water resources sharing, and inadequate financial resources to address these challenges. Three major proposals presented by the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program, and the Government of Tajikistan to achieve energy security in Tajikistan are evaluated. Specifically, they lack a focus on energy services and therefore overlook people's socio-cultural context and appropriate energy needs. This paper highlights energy services as critical to people’s wellbeing and socio-economic development. •A novel vulnerability approach is applied to energy security assessment.•Key vulnerabilities in energy system are assessed in case of Tajikistan.•Three major pathways to achieve energy security in Tajikistan are evaluated.•A paradigm shift from energy sources to services is recommended to improve access.