SAARC Council of Experts of Energy Regulators Holds Second Meeting
24 October 2017
The Second Meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Council of Experts of Energy Regulators (CEERE) on 24-25 October 2017 discussed a road map for implementation of the SAARC Framework Agreement on Energy Cooperation (Electricity), issues on power trade, including harmonization of grid code, operating procedures for cross-border power trade, and harmonization of electricity laws related to implementing the SAARC Framework Agreement on Energy (Electricity).
Mr. Tariq Saddozai, Chairman, National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), urged SAARC member countries to implement the SAARC Framework Agreement on Energy Cooperation. He emphasized the need to increase cross-border electricity trade to help countries overcome energy challenges, sustain rapid economic growth, and eliminate load shedding in the region. He further highlighted the important role of multilateral agencies, including the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency in carrying out feasibility studies, providing financial support, and conducting reviews of the relevant laws of the member countries.
Representatives of energy/ power agencies of SAARC countries attended the Meeting, including Mr. M Waris Mustamadi and Mr. Habibulrahman Rahmat, Afghanistan; Mr. Abdul Khayer and Mr. Firoz Zaman, Bangladesh; Mr. Nima Tshering and Mr. Sangay Phuntsho, Bhutan; Ms. Shazeena Ismail, Maldives; Mr. Nutan Prakash Sharma and Mr. Sumanta Kumar Sah, Nepal; Mr. Nilantha Sapumanage and Mr. Gamini Sarathchandra, Sri Lanka; and Mr. Hussnain Zaigham, Senior Advisor, NEPRA, Pakistan. Staff and consultants of the Asian Development Bank also participated.
SAARC CEERE serves as a regional forum to discuss, share knowledge, and achieve consensus on harmonized rules to enable bilateral and multilateral power trade in the SAARC region. The first SAARC-CEERE Meeting, held in December 2016 in Thimphu, Bhutan, finalized the terms of reference and work plan for the Council.
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