Connecting Power, Enabling Shared Growth

Connecting Power, Enabling Shared Growth: Advancing Regional Electricity Cooperation in BIMSTEC

11 September, 2026 | 2:30 PMVenue : CRF Boardroom, New Delhi

CRF in association with the ESCAP Sustainable Business Network (ESBN), convened a high-level roundtable in hybrid mode on “Connecting Power, Enabling Shared Growth: Advancing Regional Electricity Cooperation in BIMSTEC.” The discussion brought together policymakers, regulators, utilities, industry representatives, academia and research institutions to explore pathways for strengthening regional electricity cooperation. Key discussions focused on private-sector participation and investment; regulatory and technical harmonisation; evolving electricity markets, including cross-border trade and market platforms; and capacity building and technology cooperation. The roundtable also examined the regulatory, technical, institutional and financial barriers to deeper regional integration and explored priorities for developing a practical and action-oriented roadmap for BIMSTEC electricity cooperation.

Speakers

Dr Sushanta K Chatterjee

Chief of Regulatory Affairs, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission

Dr Rupa Chanda

Director, Trade, Investment and Innovation Division, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)

Dr. Ram Prasad Dhital

Chairman, Electricity Regulatory Commission, Nepal

Mr K S Bandyopadhyay

Former Executive Director, NTPC Ltd

Mr Narasimhan S. R.

Former Chairman and Managing Director, Grid Controller of India Limited (Grid-India)

Mr Arun Goel

Former Member, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission

Mr Pankaj Batra

Senior Advisor, Integrated Research and Action for Development

Mr S K Soonee

Former and Founder CEO, POSOCO, Now Grid Controller of India Limited (Grid-India)

Prof Anoop singh

Founder and Coordinator, CER & EAL, DoMS, IIT Kanpur

Dr Indu Maheshwari

Principal Director (Training–CO), National Power Training Institute (NPTI)

Dr Arpita Mukherjee

Professor, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER)

Mr Sarthak Khurana

Associate Director, CPI Global

Mr Jayesh Behede

Senior Manager, International Business Develeopment, NTPC Ltd

Mr Sabyasachi Dutta

Executive Director, Asian Confluence Centre

Mr Martand Shardul

Former Policy Director, Global Wind Energy Council

Mr Vishal Tripathi

Consultant, Power Markets, CEEW

Mr Jogendra Behera

Head - Policy, Regulatory and Non-Utility Markets, Apraava Energy

Mr Sankalp Purwar

Chief Business Officer, CRID

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