A causal relationship between energy consumption and economic growth in Nepal

Abstract

In the present paper, an attempt is made to examine the causal relationship between the per capita consumption of coal, electricity, oil and total commercial energy and the per capita real gross domestic product (GDP), using a co-integration and vector error correction model. The increase in real GDP, among other things, indicates a higher demand for a large quantity of commercial energy such as coal, oil and electricity. This implies that low infrastructure development limits the usage of commercial energy, which may also hold back economic growth. Empirical findings reveal that there is a unidirectional causality running from coal, oil and commercial energy consumption to per capita real GDP, whereas a unidirectional causality running from per capita real GDP to per capita electricity consumption is found. It is suggested that the input of per capita energy consumption stimulates enhanced economic growth in Nepal.