3 Intelligent Well Technology: Status and Opportunities for Developing Marginal Reserves SPE

3 Intelligent Well Technology: Status and Opportunities for Developing Marginal Reserves SPE

Prospects and Limitations of Public-Private Partnerships as a Means for Technology Transfer: The Case of Nuclear Energy in India

Udoy M. Ghose, University of Potsdam, Phone +49 331 977 4463, email:

Overview

Decades ago India’s nuclear energy programme was initiated mainly through the public sector. Up-to-date India has achieved high expertise in design, construction, operation and maintenance of nuclear power plants. A great part of this expertise can be attributed to a policy based on self-reliance. To acquire further nuclear expertise, private participation through public-private partnerships (PPPs) could be an option. PPPs are considered to have various benefits for the public sector, and the transfer of know-how and technology as well as the acquisition of innovative capabilities from the private to the public partner are regarded to be some of these benefits. By analysing India’s past policy and experience to build up its nuclear sector, this paper shows that the limitations to gain further nuclear expertise through private participation outweigh the prospects.

Therefore, at first the common theoretical arguments concerning public-private partnerships and technology transfer are outlined. Then a closer look will be taken at the evolution of India’s nuclear energy programme within an international context. By considering the public policy to develop India’s indigenous nuclear expertise the prospects and limitations of PPPs as a means for technology transfer are analysed. Finally, the main results are summarized in the conclusion.

Methods

Historical and institutional analysis of India’s experience of nuclear energy development and of present R&D- institutions within the Indian nuclear sector.

Results

From a domestic perspective, the transfer of nuclear technology, e.g. in the form of medical applications, is directed from the public to the private sector and not vice versa as PPP-theory suggests. The reason for this is that India’s nuclear expertise was primarily developed by its public sector. As there are hardly any domestic private companies that possess nuclear expertise, the only feasible option to gain further nuclear technological know-how through PPPs is at present on an international scale. But, as India’s past experience with international cooperation in the nuclear field shows, there was often a disruption of nuclear technology transfer towards India due to international political disputes.

Conclusions

The transfer of nuclear technology from the public to the domestic private sector demonstrates that the transfer of know-how and technology can successfully be accomplished from the public to the private sector. This, however, cannot be understood as a falsification of the PPP-theory argument that the public sector can acquire technology and innovation capabilities from the private sector through PPPs. Industrial sectors which are vital for economic development are very heterogeneous, and it depends on the individual circumstances whether the private party will learn from the public party or vice versa. But the argument that a PPP transfers expertise and technology solely from the private to the public sector has to be rejected bearing in mind the Indian experience of nuclear energy development.

Taking into account India’s historical experience with international nuclear technology cooperation, which often was disrupted by international political disagreements, it is vital for India to develop its nuclear expertise further on a strong indigenous base to ensure that the nuclear energy programme is implemented unhampered in future.

References

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Further various ducuments.