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The Inception Meeting of the SASEC Cross-border Power Trade Working Group (SPT-WG), a platform to realize power trade arrangements in the SASEC subregion, was held on 12-13 October 2017 in New Delhi, India, to discuss and agree on the terms of reference of the proposed SPT-WG.

The Meeting agreed that SPT-WG functions and priorities will include

•  Maintaining and updating a list of priority projects for cross-border electricity trade (CBET);
• Assisting in mobilizing funding for regional projects;
• Serving as a platform for discussion and facilitation of CBET issues and concerns; and
• Undertaking capacity building, knowledge sharing, and management of CBET activities.

The Meeting also discussed

• Development of CBET in other regions;
• Progress and challenges in promoting CBET in the SASEC subregion, including institutional arrangements and regulatory frameworks for power trading;
• Current power sector strategies in SASEC member countries, and progress and constraints in pursuing CBET. The countries highlighted the importance of studies on regulatory reforms and techno-economic aspects of power trade, project preparation assistance, knowledge sharing and capacity building;
• Energy strategies and priorities in the SASEC Operational Plan, and emerging priorities for cooperation, including hydropower development, transmission interconnections, and promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency; and
• Potential power projects between governments, as well as joint ventures involving the private sector.

Senior officials and representatives of energy and power agencies participated in the Meeting, together with related institutions in the SASEC subregion. Staff and consultants of the Asian Development Bank also attended.