New Delhi: India and Saudi Arabia on Monday reviewed progress on their proposed electrical interconnection initiative and discussed opportunities to expand power-sector cooperation during a virtual bilateral meeting.
Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal held talks with Saudi Arabia’s Assistant Minister of Energy for Electricity Affairs, Nasser Al-Qahtani, on advancing the initiative, which aims to deepen bilateral energy cooperation.
The two sides exchanged views on the next steps and emphasised the importance of sustained engagement to move the proposed interconnection forward.
They also explored technical collaboration, knowledge sharing and the exchange of best practices in other areas of the power sector.
The Saudi side expressed interest in strengthening cooperation on Extra High Voltage transmission systems and addressing technical and operational challenges arising from the increasing share of renewable energy in electricity grids.
Other areas of interest included meeting the growing electricity requirements of emerging data centres and updating grid codes to reflect changing power-system needs.
Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to continued dialogue to strengthen their partnership in the power sector.
[DD news]