The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the Power Ministry's proposal to sign the MOU for "Establishment of the BIMSTEC Grid Interconnection", a cabinet communique said.
It will be signed among member states of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) at its upcoming third energy ministers' meeting to be held in Nepal shortly.
Bimstec is an international organisation involving a group of countries in South Asia and South East Asia – Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal.
Under the "BIMSTEC Trans-Power Exchange and Development Project", it was decided that a task force led by Thailand, with representatives of member countries, would give a report on draft MoU for grid interconnections.
Subsequently, the draft MoU was finalised by the task force in March 16, 2015.
This MoU will provide a broad framework for the parties 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 region.