Prindi

Siddharth Srivastava

Title: The Nature of Public Private Partnerships in Power Sector Governance: Selected Cases from ASEAN

Supervisor: Olga Mikheeva, MA 

Opponent: Dr. Veiko Lember, PhD

Defense: 23 January 2019

 

Abstract: One of governance mechanisms that has been increasingly gaining attention in the energy sector is the use of public-private partnerships (PPPs). Since energy is a broad sector and it holds two important yet very different industries: the oil and gas sector, and the power sector. The aim of the thesis is (i) to explore the nature of public-private partnerships (PPPs) that take place in the power sector i.e. electricity, the second component of energy and (ii) to bring together various perspectives on PPPs that currently exist in scholarly and policy discourses, including from a critical perspective. Empirical part of the thesis represents case studies of selected Association of South East Asia Nation (ASEAN) states: Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and Laos. The thesis shows whether and how PPP arrangements could bring a solution for electricity security along with affordable and accessible electricity. More precisely, the thesis has an objective to illustrate the various aspects of PPPs and to explain whether PPPs have been successful in delivering expected outcomes for the provision of electricity security in selected ASEAN countries. The underlying support of country selection is based on ongoing rapid industrialization process and economic growth in Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and Laos, which is again coupled with the electricity demand not only for commercial but also domestic needs in terms of accessibility and affordability.

 

Keywords: ASEAN, PPP, Power sector, Governance, Electricity security, accessibility and affordability