India calls for enhanced energy cooperation in SAARC region

New Delhi, Sep 15 (ANI): India has called for enhanced energy cooperation in the SAARC region, which will lead to the betterment of the lives of all the people in the region.

Addressing the 4th SAARC Energy Ministers' Meeting in Dhaka today, Minister of Power, Sushilkumar Shinde, said our coming together at this meeting would be an important step forward to realise our vision of a prosperous and developed South Asia.

Expressing confidence that the SAARC electricity market will help in optimizing the resources on a larger scale, Shinde said that these reforms would pave the way for cross country electricity transactions on a commercial basis.

Adding that the inter-Governmental agreements would facilitate cross-country electricity transactions, he said that the countries in the region are taking some concrete steps to establish basic inter-connections on a bilateral basis, which form the building blocks of the ultimate goal of a regional grid-connectivity.

Sushilkumar Shinde said that as proposed by the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, at the 16th SAARC Summit, India is taking forward the initiative of setting up of Climate Innovation Centres in South Asia to develop sustainable energy technologies based on indigenous resource endowments.

On the renewable energy front, Shinde referred to the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission and said India envisages to add 20,000 MW solar capacity by 2022.

Highlighting the State Electricity Regulatory Commissions in India mandating a minimum Renewable Purchase Obligation to the power distribution utilities and the mechanism of Renewable Energy Certificates or "Green Certificates" to facilitate investments in renewable energy, he expressed India's willingness to share its best practices and energy efficiency programmes with the member countries.

Shinde also shared with the member countries the "Perform-Achieve-Trade" (PAT) Scheme under the National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE) for energy intensive sectors in India.

India will be hosting the next meeting of senior officials and SAARC energy ministers in 2013.

Sushilkumar Shinde had bilateral meetings with energy ministers of Bhutan, Srilanka, Nepal and Bangladesh on the sidelines of SAARC Energy Ministers' meet. (ANI)