BIMSTEC members to sign deal on electricity grid interconnection

Member states of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) will sign an agreement to establish electricity grid interconnection at a summit next week in Kathmandu, a senior official at the Nepali Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

Krishna Prasad Dhakal, head of the BIMSTEC division at the Nepali Foreign Ministry, told Xinhua that Memorandum of Understanding for Establishment of the BIMSTEC Grid Interconnection will be signed during the fourth summit to be held on Aug. 30-31 in the Nepali capital.

"The BIMSTEC member states have already finalized the MoU, and now it is ready for the signature. The accord will provide a broad framework for the BIMSTEC member states to cooperate towards the implementation of grid interconnections for the trade in electricity with a view to promoting rational and optimal power transmission in the BIMSTEC region," Dhakal said.

Nepal is the rotating chair of BIMSTEC established in 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration.

BIMSTEC, a regional organization, groups India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Dhakal said the MoU will pave away for facilitating the promotion of efficient, economic, and secure operation of power system through the development of regional electricity networks.

"It will facilitate the power exchange through cross-border interconnections," he said.

During the fourth summit, the BIMSTEC leaders will review progress achieved so far in cooperation and provide guidance for future work of the organization, according to the Nepali Foreign Ministry.

The third summit of the BIMSTEC leaders was held in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, in March 2014.