Countries in South Asia have made ambitious targets towards net zero emissions to address climate change. Accelerating the energy transition calls for enhancing flexibility in energy systems and pushing boundaries to increase the penetration of renewables to meet these targets. Cross border electricity trade has immense opportunity for decarbonizing power sector in South Asia and meeting seasonal demand and supply gap, through the development of large-scale cleaner, greener and sustainable energy infrastructure & facilitating renewable energy grid integration in South Asia. Installed capacity of renewables is only a fraction of the total potential renewable energy resources that could be utilized. Cross border trading of excess solar energy and hydropower could also play an important role in clean energy transition, grid balancing and energy security in South Asia.

This will require countries, among others, to establish suitable policies and an enabling environment as well as mobilize public and private capital to promote regional power trade for carbon-neutral South Asia and beyond.

Objectives

The main objective of this session is to share experiences and knowledge relevant for South Asian countries to develop large scale clean energy projects, power trade opportunities and setting up infrastructure and institutional arrangement. The session will also highlight latest technological innovations for resilient infrastructure for greater renewable energy uptake and power trade.

AGENDA

9:00 - 9:15 a.m.

Welcome Remarks

Sujata Gupta, Director, South Asia Energy Division, ADB

9:15 - 10:30 a.m.

Dialogue with Policy Makers

Context Setting and Panel Discussion to be moderated by Jiwan Acharya, Principal Energy Specialist, ADB

  • Dinesh Ghimire, Secretary,, Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Nepal

  • Mapa Pathirana, Secretary, Ministry of Power and Energy, Sri Lanka

  • Nirod Chandra Mondal, Joint Secretary, Power Division, Bangladesh

  • Dr. Jyoti Parikh, Executive Director, Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe), India

Wrap up

10:30 - 11:00 a.m.

Coffee Break

11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Part II: Dialogue with Champions

Moderator: Pankaj Batra, Senior Advisor, IRADe & Ex-Chairperson & Member (Planning), Central Electricity Authority and Ex-Officio Additional Secretary to Govt. of India

  • Kul Man Ghising, Managing Director, Nepal Electricity Authority, Nepal

  • Rohan Seneviratne, General Manager, Ceylon Electricity Board, Sri Lanka

  • Nazmun Nahar, Senior Project Officer (Energy), Bangladesh Resident Mission, ADB

Wrap up

Closing by Jiwan Acharya, Principal Energy Specialist, ADB

SPEAKERS

Sujata Gupta

Sujata Gupta

Director, East Asia Sustainable Infrastructure, Asian Development Bank

Jiwan Acharya

Jiwan Acharya

Principal Energy Specialist,
Asian Development Bank

Dinesh Kumar Ghimire

Dinesh Kumar Ghimire

Secretary, Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Nepal 

Nirod Chandra Mondal

Nirod Chandra Mondal

Joint Secretary, Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources - Bangladesh

Dr. Jyoti Parikh

Dr. Jyoti Parikh

Executive Director, Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe) India

Pankaj Batra

Pankaj Batra

Senior Advisor, IRADe

Kul Man Ghising

Kul Man Ghising

Managing Director, Nepal Electricity Authority

About the Organizer

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. It assists its members and partners by providing loans, technical assistance, grants, and equity investments to promote social and economic development.