First meeting of BIMSTEC Energy Centre Governing Board.

• India recently hosted the first meeting of BIMSTEC Energy Centre (BEC) Governing Board.
• It recommended the addition of cyber security, green hydrogen, and energy transition areas under the specialized wings of BEC.

About BEC

• The First BIMSTEC Energy Ministers Conference of 2005, agreed to the setting up of a BEC to share experience in reforms, restructuring, regulation, and best practices in the energy sector.
• Objectives of the Centre: create, manage, and evaluate energy-related databases to suggest a road map for meaningful intra-BIMSTEC cooperation.
• Initiatives for BIMSTEC Energy Cooperation
  • The grid interconnection MoU, signed in 2018 by member-states, for the trade in electricity with optimal power transmission in the BIMSTEC region.
  • The 1125 MW Dorjilung hydropower project involving Bangladesh, Bhutan, and India will allow Bhutan to export electricity to Bangladesh through India.

About BIMSTEC

• It is a regional organization that was established on 06 June 1997 with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration.
• BIMSTEC aims to foster regional and economic cooperation among the member countries i.e India, Thailand, Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan.
• Secretariat- Dhaka, Bangladesh