The Fifth Meeting of SAARC Council of Experts of Energy Regulators-Electricity (CEERE) was hosted by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on
14-15 November 2023, in Islamabad. The Meeting was held with the support of the Asian Development Bank.
The Meeting was inaugurated by Mr. Waseem Mukhtar, Chairman, National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), Government of Pakistan. In his inaugural address, the Chief Guest extended a warm welcome to the delegates from SAARC Member States, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, Asian Development Bank, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) and other Energy Related Institutions.
The Chief Guest, in his address, stated that SAARC is home to more than 20% of the world population and offers more potential for regional cooperation than any other region in the world. Given the geographical proximity, there is a great potential for SAARC Member States to collaborate in a number of areas, including energy. He said that a lot needs to be done in the electricity market for availability of reliable, affordable and sustainable electricity. He emphasized on the need to harmonize the laws/rules/regulations in order to achieve the objective of cross-border electricity trade. He also underscored that cross-border trade of electricity can be helpful in improving electricity access in the region and play a major role to overcome challenges to sustain rapid economic growth.
The Heads of Delegations of the Member States presented an overview of the energy sector of their respective countries with focus on the legal and regulatory framework, power import/export status, power trading arrangements, guidelines and priority projects for cross-border trade of electricity, potential interconnections, challenges/barriers for power trading and way forward for energy security and regional energy cooperation and integration. The Delegates also highlighted the status of market readiness and expressed willingness for promoting Regional Energy Trade.
The SAARC Council of Experts of Energy Regulators (Electricity) was formed in 2016 with focus on the role, functioning and performance of electricity regulators in the perspective of cross border power trading in South Asia. Overall aim of the Council is to provide enabling regulatory environment for materializing SAARC Energy Ring through implementation of the SAARC Framework Agreement on Energy Cooperation (Electricity).
SAARC Secretariat
Kathmandu, 15 November 2023
