New Delhi, 13 August 2024: India and Southeast Asia are poised to be at the centre of global energy demand growth in the coming years, driven by population increases, economic improvements, and the universalisation of electricity services. However, energy resources in these regions are unevenly distributed and are not always located in the countries with the largest demands. To address this, power connectivity has emerged as a crucial policy alternative to enhance energy security sustainably. While both regions have pursued power connectivity separately, there is growing attention to the potential of interconnections between them. In this context, India’s North East Region (NER) and Myanmar are expected to play key roles as gateways between South and Southeast Asia.

To explore these opportunities, ERIA, in cooperation with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), organised a Roundtable on ‘India–ASEAN Power Trading and Regional Grid Connectivity: Challenges and Interventions’ on 13 August 2024 at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. The event gathered around 30 experts from policymaking, business, and academia to deliberate on innovative interventions needed to strengthen power trade and connectivity between South and Southeast Asia.

Soma Banerjee, Deputy Director General of CII, welcomed the participants and emphasised the region's shifting focus from agriculture to manufacturing and service sectors, which has significantly increased energy intensity. She noted that energy demand in Southeast Asia has grown by an average of 3% annually over the past 2 decades, a trend expected to continue until 2030 under current policy settings. In contrast, India has witnessed a 7% annual growth in energy consumption. Given these trends, she highlighted the importance of enhanced power trade and improved grid connectivity to ensure energy security in both India and ASEAN countries.

Dr Venkatachalam Anbumozhi, Senior Research Fellow for Innovations at ERIA, Jakarta, set the context for the session by stressing the critical need to ensure energy security in South and Southeast Asian countries, particularly in the face of challenges related to the continuous supply of sustainable energy at affordable prices. He discussed the importance of capacity building, grid connectivity, energy cooperation, infrastructure investment, and other key factors in achieving energy security in the region.

The Chief Guest and Chair of the inaugural session, Ashok Kumar Rajput, Member (Power Systems) and Additional Secretary, Government of India, delivered an address, followed by a presentation by R.K. Agarwal, Former Executive Director of SJVN Ltd., on the report ‘India–ASEAN Power Trading and Regional Grid Connectivity: Challenges and Interventions Required.’ Notable speakers included R.K. Porwal, Director (System Operation) at Grid Controller of India Ltd., Satyajit Ganguly, MD & CEO of PXIL, Rajesh Kumar, Senior General Manager at CTU, and Sanjiv Mehra, Director of Statkraft India. Other eminent representatives from government, industry, and think tanks also participated, sharing insights on the challenges and necessary interventions for achieving energy security in the region.

The discussion covered a wide range of topics, including existing and potential transmission links, investment requirements, risk mitigation mechanisms, technological feasibility, infrastructure needs, and geopolitical constraints. Participants also addressed key issues such as the need for better intersectoral coordination, investment in finance, and leveraging existing regional cooperation frameworks to enhance collaboration and energy trade. The importance of developing both hard and social infrastructure to support power trade was also highlighted.

In his concluding remarks, Dr Bhupendra Singh, Head of Energy Security at CII, emphasised the crucial role of capacity building, noting that Myanmar could serve as a vital gateway connecting South Asia to Southeast Asia, with India’s Northeast region as a potential bridge to South Asia. He highlighted the strategic importance of these links in advancing energy trade under the ‘One Sun One World One Grid’ initiative.

The outcomes of the roundtable will be used to prepare a policy paper addressing the challenges and necessary interventions for India–ASEAN Power Trading and Regional Grid Connectivity, which is expected to aid governments in policymaking.