It has been pervasively known that as a region, South Asia faces the
triangular nexus of food, water and energy insecurity. With a population
of more than 1.6 billion (above 1/5th of world population), and low per
capita energy consumption (514 kgoe/capita/year), the commercial energy
demand is expected to be more than 2,000 Million TOE by 2030. The SAARC
region is further adverse with Low per capita income and vast
population living in poverty in the midst of Low access to electricity
and low per capita power consumption (517 kwh/capita/year).
There is a wide variation in commercial energy resource endowments and commercial energy demand
among the South Asian countries. On one side, while the member nations
like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh account for the major natural gas
and coal resources, Bhutan and Nepal in contrast have large hydropower
resources. Central India being blessed with large fossil fuel reserves
amid the central and southern Asian region having enormous potential of
solar and wind potential. With diverse energy potential, optimal sharing
of these resources naturally leads most advantageous energy supply
solutions for the entire region. South Asian countries need enhanced
regional energy transfer to leverage economies of scale through a more
vibrant intra and inter regional energy trade structure.
Establishing well planned cross border energy trade in
SAARC region would aid achieving economies of scale in energy
production, improved energy security and reliability, reduced costs and
prices through scale effects, optimal utilization of huge
hydro-resources in the region, institutional capacity building in the electricity sector of the region, reduced
adverse impacts on the environment, possibility of earning substantial
export revenues especially from electricity trade and Eventual multiplier effects in terms of faster economic growth.
The endeavors to streamline such optimal energy trade face numerous
challenges including administrative and bureaucratic congruence between
SAARC nations. A lot of developments favoring power and gas trade
amounst SAARC Nations are in discussions and consequently, this
conference has been designed and launched to investigate and invite
deliberations over Geo-political, Socio-Cultural and Economic influences
on cross border power trade along with investigating interim country
Risks in the turf of establishing optimal trans-national power and gas
trade. The Conference would provide a platform to premeditate key
developments and prospective plans thought over revitalizing SAARC
Nations towards the much required energy convention.
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