UNB, Dhaka :
South Asian energy regulators in their two-day meeting that concluded here on Monday finalised an action plan to promote cross-border electricity trade and agreed to remove the regulatory barriers in this regard.
“We’d a very successful meeting, and all the regulators finalised a plan of action to address regulatory issues to enhance cross-border electricity trade,” said chairman of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) AR Khan.
The BEC chairman was briefing on the proceedings of their conference at a city hotel.
The first-ever ‘Council of Saarc Energy Regulators’ meeting was hosted by the BERC. The Saarc Secretariat extended its full support by sending its director Mohammad Ibrahim Ghafoori to the conference.
Participants from all the eight Saarc nations-Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan,
India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka-discussed different issues, especially a decision of the last Saarc meeting in Katmandu to enhance the cross-border electricity trade.
AR Khan said there are huge potentials of electricity generation in the Saarc region. But still the energy consumption here is the lowest in the world. “So, we discussed the issues as to how the nations in the Saarc could easily buy electricity from each other through cross-border trade,” he added.
He said the regulators also discussed the ways as to how the consumers of the Saarc region could get electricity fast and harmonise the power grid code.
The meeting adopted a nine-point resolution that includes sharing of knowledge, experiences and expertise among the officials of the Saarc nations, and also exchange legal documents, harmonisation of regulations, codes and standard for electricity grids, and recommendation for forming a regional energy regulatory body under a Saarc umbrella.
The BERC chairman said the decisions and resolutions of the meeting will be put forward to the governments of the member countries through the Saarc Secretariat. “These will take the final shape after endorsement by the Saarc nations,” he added.
He, however, said the meeting did not discuss the issues relating to the harmonisation of electricity tariffs among the Saarc nations. “The tariff issue didn’t come up at the meeting as each country fixes the tariff in accordance with their economic condition,” he said.
South Asian energy regulators in their two-day meeting that concluded here on Monday finalised an action plan to promote cross-border electricity trade and agreed to remove the regulatory barriers in this regard.
“We’d a very successful meeting, and all the regulators finalised a plan of action to address regulatory issues to enhance cross-border electricity trade,” said chairman of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) AR Khan.
The BEC chairman was briefing on the proceedings of their conference at a city hotel.
The first-ever ‘Council of Saarc Energy Regulators’ meeting was hosted by the BERC. The Saarc Secretariat extended its full support by sending its director Mohammad Ibrahim Ghafoori to the conference.
Participants from all the eight Saarc nations-Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan,
India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka-discussed different issues, especially a decision of the last Saarc meeting in Katmandu to enhance the cross-border electricity trade.
AR Khan said there are huge potentials of electricity generation in the Saarc region. But still the energy consumption here is the lowest in the world. “So, we discussed the issues as to how the nations in the Saarc could easily buy electricity from each other through cross-border trade,” he added.
He said the regulators also discussed the ways as to how the consumers of the Saarc region could get electricity fast and harmonise the power grid code.
The meeting adopted a nine-point resolution that includes sharing of knowledge, experiences and expertise among the officials of the Saarc nations, and also exchange legal documents, harmonisation of regulations, codes and standard for electricity grids, and recommendation for forming a regional energy regulatory body under a Saarc umbrella.
The BERC chairman said the decisions and resolutions of the meeting will be put forward to the governments of the member countries through the Saarc Secretariat. “These will take the final shape after endorsement by the Saarc nations,” he added.
He, however, said the meeting did not discuss the issues relating to the harmonisation of electricity tariffs among the Saarc nations. “The tariff issue didn’t come up at the meeting as each country fixes the tariff in accordance with their economic condition,” he said.
