Sector & Thematic Session

From Security to Strategy: Designing a Secure and Integrated South Asian Energy System

Thursday, 11 June 2026 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. (GMT+8) Auditorium Hall 2 Organized by ADB South Asia

Overview

The global energy landscape is being redrawn. Geopolitical realignments, recurring fuel price shocks, and fragile supply chains have brought energy security back to the forefront, not merely as an operational concern, but as a strategic priority. At the same time, the maturing of renewables and clean fuels is creating new opportunities to build energy systems that are cleaner, more competitive, and more resilient. The key challenge now lies in shaping this transition so that security, affordability, and decarbonization reinforce one another.

For South Asia, the stakes are particularly high. The region faces rapidly growing energy demand, rising import dependence, and heightened exposure to climate and price volatility, even as it holds significant untapped renewable potential and a strong policy drive toward clean energy. Addressing these dynamics will require moving beyond siloed planning. Electricity, fuels, and industrial value chains must be approached as an integrated system, supported by enabling policy and regulatory frameworks, cross-border infrastructure, and deeper regional cooperation. Clean fuels such as green hydrogen and compressed biogas can further extend the transition into transport, industry, and other hard-to-abate sectors, enhancing both resilience and competitiveness.

Against this backdrop, this session brought together policymakers, regulators, and industry leaders to examine how South Asia can move from an energy security mindset to a coherent system strategy. It explored how regional cooperation, policy alignment, and coordinated infrastructure development can enable a more integrated energy system and identify practical pathways toward a future that is secure, low-carbon, and economically transformative.

Agenda

9:00 a.m.

Emcee

Jongmi Son, Energy Specialist, Asian Development Bank
9:00 – 9:05 a.m.

Welcoming Remarks

Hoeyun Jeong, Deputy Director General, South Asia Regional Department (SARD), Asian Development Bank
9:05 – 9:10 a.m.

Opening Remarks

G.M.R.D Aponsu, Secretary, Ministry of Energy, Sri Lanka
9:10 – 9:20 a.m.

Scene-Setting Presentation: The Need of the Hour — Rethinking Energy Systems for Security and Integration

Vikas Gaba, Partner and National Head – Power & Utilities, KPMG in India

Lays out the case for moving from fragmented planning to integrated energy system design — connecting electricity, clean fuels, and industrial value chains. Highlights South Asia's demand trajectory, exposure to global supply shocks, and the strategic levers (renewables scale-up, storage, clean fuels, and regional cooperation) that can deliver secure, low-carbon, and economically transformative outcomes.
9:20 – 9:55 a.m.

Panel 1: Powering South Asia Together — Policy Reforms, Institutional Strengthening and Regional Cooperation for Integrated Energy Future

Country-led discussion on the policy, regulatory, and institutional reforms needed to build secure and future-ready power systems in South Asia. The panel will surface national experiences from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India on enabling frameworks for scaling renewables and storage, strengthening regulatory institutions, and advancing cross-border arrangements and regional cooperation required for a more interconnected South Asian power market.

Moderator
Jiwan Sharma Acharya, Principal Energy Specialist, Asian Development Bank

Panelists
Muhammad Khalequzzaman, Joint Secretary, Power Division (Renewable Energy Wing – Energy Efficiency & Conservation Branch), Bangladesh

Ugyen Thaye, Chief Engineer, Department of Energy, Bhutan

Bashanta Dhoj Shrestha, CEO, Dudhkoshi Jalvidyut Company Limited (DKJVCL), Nepal

Damitha Kumarasinghe, Director General, Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka

Shri Shashank Misra, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Power, India

Vikas Gaba, Partner and National Head – Power & Utilities, KPMG in India
9:55 – 10:25 a.m.

Panel 2: Beyond Power — Clean Fuels and Integrated Energy Systems for Energy Security

Examines how clean fuels, including compressed biogas (CBG), green hydrogen, biofuels, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), can complement the power transition to strengthen energy security in South Asia. The panel will explore policy enablers, demand aggregation mechanisms, infrastructure readiness, and the integration of fuel systems with power and hard-to-abate industrial sectors.

Moderator
Vallabha Rao, Lead Project Officer, Asian Development Bank

Panelists
Lilantha Samaranayake, Dean, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

Ahmed Ali, Director General, Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy, Maldives

Kundan Pokhrel Majgainya, Deputy Director, Alternative Energy Promotion Center (AEPC), Nepal

Shailesh R Unnithan, Chief General Manager, State Bank of India, India

Vivek Rahi, Partner and National Head – Oil & Gas, KPMG in India
10:25 – 10:30 a.m.

Audience Q&A

Open exchange between the audience and Panel 2 speakers, focusing on policy and market enablers for scaling clean fuels, regional offtake and certification mechanisms, and the role of multilateral finance in enabling early-stage project development.