BIMSTEC, a sector-driven regional cooperation organization, started by identifying six priority sectors of cooperation including energy.

The 1st BIMSTEC Energy Ministers’ Meeting (MM-E) held on 04 October 2005 in New Delhi, India agreed to a vision of BIMSTEC Trans Power Exchange and Grid Interconnections by developing country-to-country grid interconnections to enable flow of electricity across the BIMSTEC region and to evolve a common regulatory framework for developing grid interconnections to turn the vision into reality.

The 2nd BIMSTEC Energy Ministers’ Meeting held on 05 March 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand reiterated BIMSTEC’s commitment to conclude a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to be a framework for future trade in electricity; commencement of BIMSTEC Grid Interconnection Master Plan Study aiming to provide technically and economically viable power interconnection across the BIMSTEC region; accelerate development of new hydro-power projects; implementation of viable renewable energy projects; and to establish a BIMSTEC Energy Centre (BEC) in India so that it could serve Member States on energy information sharing, knowledge and technology transfer, and programme and project coordination to promote development of sustainable energy use within the BIMSTEC region.

The 3rd BIMSTEC Energy Ministers’ Meeting held virtually on 20 April 2022 in Kathmandu, Nepal approved the establishment of the BIMSTEC Grid Interconnection Coordination Committee (BGICC) to implement the provisions of the MoU for Establishment of the BIMSTEC Grid Interconnection signed in 2018 and its Terms of Reference (ToR). The Ministers directed the BGICC to conclude the BIMSTEC Grid Interconnection Master Plan Study, BIMSTEC Policy for Transmission of Electricity and BIMSTEC Policy for Trade, Exchange of Electricity and Tariff Mechanism. The Ministers also directed the BIMSTEC Expert Group on Energy to develop a comprehensive Plan for Energy Cooperation on how the energy trade should be performed among the BIMSTEC Member States. The Ministers further directed the preparation for establishment of the BIMSTEC Energy Centre in order to act as a centre of excellence in research and sharing of experience to strengthen the cooperation in energy sector among BIMSTEC Member States.

# List of Meetings of MM-E held so far: