Jan01

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) initiated the South Asia Regional Initiative for Energy (SARI/E) program in the year 2000, covering the eight countries in South Asia, viz. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, The Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In the first three phases, the program, aiming to promote energy security in South Asia, worked on three focus areas: Cross Border Energy Trade (CBET); Energy Market formation; and Regional Clean Energy development. SARI/E played a key role in integrating and promoting the energy policy and technology linkages across the South Asian nations.

The fourth and current phase of the program called SARI/EI (South Asia Regional Initiative in Energy Integration) started in 2012, and is aimed at advancing regional grid integration through cross border power trade. This phase is being implemented by Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe), the leading South Asian Think Tank.

The SARI/EI program was extended to 2022 and is a key program under USAID’s Asia EDGE (Enhancing Development and Growth through Energy) Initiative. The initiative aims to enhance the economic and energy security of Asian countries by promoting a more affordable and reliable energy system. One of the key objectives under Asia EDGE is to accelerate the growth of the region’s energy markets through regional energy trade and integration that, in turn, would boost economic development of the participating countries.

The SARI/EI Program is a key component of USAID’s Asia EDGE (Enhancing Development and Growth through Energy) initiative.

The SARI/EI Program is being implemented by the New Delhi-based Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe) – a leading Think Tank in South Asia. The Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI), a non-political, non-profit think tank based in Dhaka, is the implementing agency of the Bangladesh component of the Program.

The Bangladesh Component of the project being implemented by BEI is scheduled to run from the end of January, 2022 to the end of August, 2022.

The Project has the following components:  

• Undertaking a Research Study on “Socio-Economic Impact of Cross Border Energy Trade (CBET) at the South Asian Sub-Regional Level: A Bangladesh Perspective”.
• Research work involving research on renewable energy, energy security, clean energy access, livelihoods, gender and climate change and on socio economic impact of Cross border Energy Trade (CBET).
• Media Fellowship involving the writing and publication of 18 Newspaper Articles on topics of issues concerning Cross border Energy Trade and Regional Energy Cooperation among South Asian Countries.
• Undertaking a media site visit to a power plant of Bangladesh with the objective to gain insights into the functioning of the Power Plant and its contribution to cross border energy trade.
• A two day seminar on CBET.
• Holding a regional level conference on CBET and Energy Cooperation among South Asian countries.