Dr. Michael Atchia
21 November 2007
Port Louis — - Ranked 326th in Financial Times Global 500 List by market cap; first among Indian Corporates;
- Ranked 133rd in Forbes 400 Top Global Corporates by market cap; first among Indian Corporates;
- Ranked 1st in Economic Times of India 500 Corporate List by net profit and market cap.
The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) of India is the number one oil and gas set-up in Asia according to Platts 250 Global Energy Companies list, 2007. Moody's Investment Services (which the media often quote in Mauritius) awarded it the highest ever credit-rating for an Indian Corporation. And, in spite of its 240 onshore oil installations and 147 offshore ones, ONGC is seriously exploring alternative energy sources. Its Vision 2001-2020 document goes in such a direction, although oil and gas remain its present total focus.
Despite so many calls and articles, Mauritius has still not embarked in any major way in preparing the end of the petrol era. May be tomorrow' s seminar at ONGC (Ahmedabad, Gujerat) on Alternative and efficient use of energy will shed some light which may be reflected to us back home!
As one of the keynote speakers at tomorrow's function (Managing change: energy for a sustainable future), I feel honoured at being given such a platform in India, not often available at home! I am here using this opportunity to air for l' express readers, the six basic questions from my paper, which students may wish to consider.
How to achieve sustainable energy supply for all 6.4 billion humans?
From which main source? From wind, solar, oceanic & geothermal, nuclear fission/fusion, bio-fuels, new sources, a combination?
Using which renewable energy production technologies?
How to operate on a fully industrial scale?
Who is to do that, with what resources?
Within what time-frame (i.e. overlapping with the end of the petrol era)?
And this statement followed by a question:
Such a move from a fossil-energy civilisation into a renewable-energy one will contribute to restoration of the Earth - assuming climate changes can be reversed!
An incomparable economic advantage will go to the country/countries that will first develop such capability. Will that be USA? EU? Russia? China? India? Japan? South Korea? Eastern Europe? Brazil? South-Africa? Egypt? Australia? Malaysia?
(Where does Mauritius stand in this world endeavour, still at its infancy, of succeeding the transition to what I call the rewewable energy civilisation?)
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