ISLAMABAD: India has abstained from an ongoing two-day conference of Saarc Energy Regulators called to finalise common grid codes, laws and regulations for regional energy trade.

The second meeting of the Saarc Council of Experts of Energy Regu­lators (Electricity) began here on Tuesday and was represented by all the member states except India. An official said the council had been waiting until Oct 23 for the confirmation of Indian team’s visit but no word was received.

He said the Asian Development Bank and the Saarc Secretariat were coordinating with member states for the conference. “They (Indian regulator) neither nominated its delegates, nor declined or accepted the invitation.We were kept waiting until Monday,” said an official of host National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra).

Nepra Chairman Tariq Saddozoi presided over the first session of the meeting. In his opening remarks, he talked about the need and importance of increasing cross-border trade of electricity and said the regional cooperation in this regard could play a major role in helping overcome challenges to sustain rapid economic growth and eliminate loadshedding.

This in turn will “bring down energy prices, mitigate power shocks, relieve shortages, facilitate decarburisation and provide incentives for market extension and integration”, he said.

Mr Saddozoi said ‘bilateral electricity trade would lead to development of regional pools where real-time electricity trade would become possible’. He believed that multilateral agencies particularly ADB, World Bank and Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) could play an important role in the form of carrying out feasibility studies, providing financial support, review of the relevant laws of the member countries.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2017