India hosts first meeting of governing board of BIMSTEC Energy Centre
09 Mar 2023
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India on Monday hosted the first meeting of the governing board of BIMSTEC Energy Centre (BEC) on 27 February 2023 at Shangi-La Hotel, Bengaluru. All BIMSTEC countries, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand along with BIMSTEC Secretariat, actively participated in the meeting.
Ajay Tewari, additional secretary, ministry of power, and chairperson of the governing board of the BEC, welcomed the delegates from BIMSTEC member countries and gave a brief background about ongoing cooperation among BIMSTEC countries.
All member states appreciated the opportunity to have been able to convene after a long hiatus.
India’s “Neighbourhood First” and “Act East” policies were highlighted during the meeting. A snapshot of areas where BIMSTEC countries could learn from each other was also presented.
As the host of the BIMSTEC Energy Centre, India made a presentation on establishing the BIMSTEC Energy Centre (BEC) in India. It was conveyed to the member countries that the BEC will be housed in the premises of the Central Power Research Institute (CPRI), Bengaluru.
Ghanshyam Prasad, chairperson, CEA, was nominated as the first executive director of the BIMSTEC Energy Centre. The meeting considered and finalised the note on “Host Country Agreement between the Government of Republic of India and the BIMSTEC Secretariat”. The same was recommended to the seventh meeting of BIMSTEC Permanent Working Committee for consideration.
Considering the current energy scenario in BIMSTEC region, the meeting recommended additional following areas under the specialised Wings of BEC: (a) Cyber Security, (b) Green Hydrogen and (c) Energy Transition.
The member countries appreciated India’s efforts for organising the first meeting of the governing board of BIMSTEC Energy Centre. All countries also expressed that such meetings of the BIMSTEC may happen more frequently.
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