The Energy Law and Policy Study Circle is designed to nurture and empower thinkers from various law schools to contribute towards some of the nation’s most pressing issues within the electricity sector and from the grassroot levels of their own districts.
The electricity sector is regulated through Central and State legislations. However, electricity laws are seen as a niche sector and have not entered mainstream study of law. If current legislative frameworks are to align with consumption of electricity and environmental protection goals, we need to develop a generation of law professionals who will have a deeper understanding of the technological, legal and economic factors involved in electricity production and consumption. Energy law and policy are not part of the current law school curriculum primarily because of a lack of experts to teach the subject. The level of research in this field is also at a nascent stage which further thwarts its presence as a full blown subject within the law curriculum. If we are to foster young minds to understand energy laws and equip them to support the reformative growth of the sector, along with providing holistic skills to address the larger challenges of the future of energy, there is a necessity to upskill law graduates. A vital first step will be to equip students of law with knowledge of the legal framework, and analytical skills to understand various aspects of energy governance such as the socio-economics of electricity, the equitable distribution of power and policies for switching to renewable energy sources.