15th February 2022, delhi

All countries of South Asia have set targets for increasing the share of renewable energy in
the energy mix, to counter climate change, mostly wind, solar and hydro. The prices of wind
and solar energy have also been falling, leading to even bigger targets by the South Asian
nations.
However, these intermittent sources of energy can affect grid stability adversely, unless there
is balancing generation or energy storage available to even out the fluctuation of generation.
Another way of dealing with the intermittency is to expand the balancing areas of the grid,
since the fluctuations in variable renewable sources of generation may not occur at the same
time at various points in the grid. It would therefore be useful for South Asian nations to
collaborate to expand the balancing area for mutual benefit.
Balancing of the intermittent generation of renewable energy sources can be done through
bilateral or trilateral contracts between two or three countries, for mutually beneficial
exchange of power. Power markets are effective enablers for tackling the intermittencies of
renewable energy sources in the South Asian Region. The two-day conference is a regional
event with high-level participation from key stakeholders from participating South Asian
countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka). Participants will

include chairpersons of regulatory commissions from the South Asian countries and different
states of India. In addition, representatives from government, ministries/departments of
power/energy/finance, other policy making bodies, power utilities, think tanks, and public
and private sector companies from the region’s power sector are expected to attend.
The Regional Conference is being organized to discuss the regulatory framework and
practices to leverage Power Markets as a platform to facilitate enhancement and integration
of renewable energy in South Asia region.
The virtual conference will have an inaugural session and three focused working sessions in
the format of panel discussions. The inaugural session is expected to be attended by officials
from Ministry of power, Government of India, SAFIR chairman, and the Chairperson of
CERC. The inaugural session will also see the release of “Regulatory Interventions for Grid
Discipline and Reliability” and “Regulatory Compendium of South Asian countries, updated
till December 2021” and the “SAFIR Regulatory Newsletter”.