{"id":23467,"date":"2025-08-13T09:53:04","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T09:53:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lybclients.in\/irade\/?page_id=23467"},"modified":"2025-08-23T06:30:02","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T06:30:02","slug":"south-asia-regional-initiative","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/lybclients.in\/irade\/south-asia-regional-initiative\/","title":{"rendered":"South Asia Regional Initiative"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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South Asia Regional Initiative for Energy Initiative (SARI\/EI)<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The South Asia Regional Initiative for Energy Initiative (SARI\/EI) program is the regional energy program of USAID covering eight countries of the region: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.\u202f Started \u202fin the year 2000, the program \u202fhas consistently strived for promotion of energy security in the South Asian nations by working in three focus areas: 1) cross border energy trade, 2) energy market formation, and 3) regional clean energy development.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The SARI\/E Energy program in year 2012 entered into its fourth and final phase, SARI\/Energy Integration (SARI\/EI). In this phase (2012-2017), the project goal is to advance regional energy integration and\u202f project purpose is to increase\u202f cross-border energy trade through focus on the following three components: (consistency required in the tenses)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

1) Harmonization of Policy, Legal, and Regulatory mechanisms<\/span>
2) Advancement of Transmission Systems Interconnections<\/span>
3) Establishment of South Asia Regional Electricity Markets<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The program would catalyze enabling systemic conditions for regional energy integration through formation and support to three Task Forces (TFs) focusing on three components mentioned above.<\/span>
The representatives of regional stakeholders like national governments, national power transmission utilities, national electricity regulatory commissions, power market institutions, and other in-country organizations will be the members of the Task Forces. TFs will showcase examples of the benefits of regional cooperation, leverage counterpart funding and resources, provide unbiased support for regional initiatives, present a platform to discuss cross-border trade, and promote infrastructure interconnections. TFs will also help create markets and mechanisms for transparent trade practices, clean energy access, efficiency, conservation and renewable sources.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The Project Steering Committee (PSC) is program\u2019s apex body and provides overall strategic direction.\u202f The PSC comprises \u2013 senior representation from the country governments of individual SARI\/EI countries, independent energy experts\/diplomats, representatives from the regional institutions like SAARC Energy Center and multilateral donors like the Asian Development Bank.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) selected the Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe), through a competitive process, for the implementation of this phase of the South Asia Regional Initiative for Energy Integration (SARI\/EI) program. IRADe\u2019s approach would be to actively act both as the secretariat and technical input provider, and work towards consensus building amongst member countries for the program objectives in a constructive manner.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The activities of the Task Forces form the heart of the program. Task Force meetings will \u202fbe focused, structured, demand-driven and resulting into tangible outcomes. The process of guiding the TFs through their work will be supported by demand driven research and analysis. The requirements for technical analysis, study, and research evolved during the discussion in the TF meetings will be promptly responded to.\u202f Thus, the members will be assisted in their decision-making process so that they can make informed recommendations on the issues of cross-border energy trade.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Key Recommendations<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs):<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>