For cross-border electricity trade in South Asia to be smooth across the region, policy and regulatory environments governing the power sector need to be harmonized.
Diversity in primary energy sources in South Asian countries and their electricity demand patterns open up opportunities for greater use of cheaper, cleaner resources for electricity generation, reducing fossil fuel use in the region.
The paper provides an overview of both intra-regional and inter-regional energy cooperation in South Asia covering ongoing and planned activities, barriers to increased cooperation, and recommendations to overcome them.
The South Asia Regional Energy Study was completed as an important component of the technical assistance project Preparing the Energy Sector Dialogue and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Energy Center Capacity Development.