Imported Energy Cheaper Than Our Own

Wangcha Sangey says it all in his Blog:

“…….. Presently Bhutan gets less than Rs. 2.00 per unit for export to India. And domestic average rate is around Nu: 3 to 4 per unit…..

Many CEOs related to electricity production and distribution in Bhutan have received red scarfs. In return each of them have come up with different calculations of high domestic power rate to oppress the Bhutanese home consumers…..”

He is obviously livid with frustration. So am I … this is precisely the point I have been making for years.

We are supposed to be a net exporter of electricity. We say that we generate thousands of megawatts of electricity. In doing the hydropower projects, we devastate our ecology. We shackle our river systems to eternal bondage. We enslave many generations of Bhutanese with hundreds of billions of loan money at 10% interest. And after all that, we queue up at the fuel stations for hours, to buy imported energy.

Why is our own energy source beyond our reach? What explanation can there be that the owners of the hydropower projects – the Bhutanese people – have to pay twice the amount charged for export? Where is the logic in exporting energy, only to spend more to import? Please do not tell me that we do so to earn Indian Rupees. That reason would be totally flawed. If that were true, Indian Rupee would be oozing out of our ears. On the contrary, the truth is that we are strapped with billions of Ngultrums in Indian Rupee loans, at 10% interest.

Successive governments have suffered paucity of morality. Today the issue of vehicle quota remains sidelined. Each of the country’s regulatory authorities know of the crime that continues to be committed. All the luminaries that make up the Pay Commissions constituted so far did nothing about this shameful and blatant act of crime - because all of them gained personally by allowing this corruption to be perpetuated.

We all look up to our leaders to provide leadership, to lead by example, to do the honorable thing, to work for the good of the country and the people. But when they fail time and again, when they think of their own benefits over national interests, we as a nation is in great danger of peril.

I feel very sad and discouraged.