Development Partners’ Meeting on ‘Clean Energy Transition in South Asia- Meet’
The inaugural Development Partners’ Meeting on ‘Clean Energy Transition in South Asia- Meet’ held on January 31, 2024 in New Delhi, was a collaborative and strategic gathering organised by the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) South Asia Regional Energy Partnership (SAREP) program.
The meet brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including government representatives, development partners, and energy sector experts, with the primary objective of gaining a comprehensive understanding of the ongoing clean energy initiatives and enhancing coordination among donors. It aimed to foster collaboration, complement existing efforts, and leverage collective expertise to achieve a sustainable energy future.
The agenda was structured to facilitate open discussions, sharing of work areas, identification of collaborative sectors, formation of focused working groups and planning future coordination meetings. The meeting was divided into multiple sessions, each focusing on a different aspect of the clean energy transition.
Dr. Alexandria Huerta, Deputy Mission Director, USAID/India, delivered the special remarks that underscored the importance of focused working groups in supporting a unified vision for advancing clean energy goals. She also expressed gratitude to SAREP for their significant contributions.
Tripta Singh, Senior Energy Advisor, Asia Bureau, USAID, discussed the abundance of opportunities in implementing clean energy projects, emphasizing the need for technical and financial collaboration. She noted the commitment to projects such as the Green energy corridor, offshore green energy, pump storage, and hydropower, reflecting a dedication to sustainable energy transformation.
Apurva Chaturvedi, Sr. Regional Clean Energy Specialist, Indo-Pacific Office, USAID/India, and Monali Zeya-Hazra, Regional Energy and Clen Energy Specialist, Indo-Pacific Office, USAID/India, spoke on the platform’s role in bringing together like-minded professionals to initiate a series of development partner meets and also explained provided a brief presentation on SAREP and its 4 objectives.
Participants introduced their organizations and discussed their sectors of work, areas of collaboration, and their investments in South Asia’s clean energy landscape.
The second session of the meeting was designed to establish thematic working groups for more frequent and focused discussions on climate action and energy transition. The proposed working groups and their subtasks covered a wide range of topics, including Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, Distribution, Green Hydrogen, Financing Mechanisms, Cross-Border Electricity Trade (CBET), E-mobility, with additional groups for Just Transition and Net Zero being suggested.
The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks by Aaron Schubert, Deputy Office Director, Indo-Pacific Office, USAID/India, who emphasized the need for efficient, focused meetings and pre-shared activity catalogues to streamline discussions.
Agenda:
