IN-MHA-231660424-RCC019ODAIRAD Integrated Research and Action For Developement Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe) has previously implemented two projects for UKAID, most recently "Implications of Declining Costs of Solar, Wind and Storage Technologies on Regional Power Trade in South Asia (BBIN Countries – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal)". That modelling study found that regional power trade increases as more renewable generating capacity in the region, mainly in India, is utilised. Supply and demand diversities across countries, together with the balancing of intermittent wind and solar generation by flexible hydro resources in Bhutan and Nepal, lead to better utilisation of the region's power resources. More broadly, power trade supports the optimal use of regional generation capacity. This project extends the geographical scope of regional energy cooperation from the BBIN region to two further South Asian countries, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, by examining the interconnection of their national grids to the Indian grid and, through it, to the wider South Asian grid. Neither country is currently connected to the South Asian grid. Adding the demand and supply diversities of these two additional countries offers scope for still greater optimisation of regional power resources. The project assesses the technical, economic and regulatory basis for such interconnection and its implications for renewable energy integration and emissions reduction across South Asia. Integrated Research And Action for Development The International Initiative for Impact On Time On Time For Srilanka For Maldives 30000 30000