On 14 October 2020, the Energy Charter Secretariat in cooperation with the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Secretariat organised a technical workshop on the topic of “Perspectives and Challenges of Regional Electricity Markets: Harnessing Trade and Investment Opportunities”. The event brought together over forty government officials and energy experts from eight ECO Member States, international and regional organisations. 

The objective of the workshop was to discuss international experiences on integration of power markets as well as the challenges and perspectives of developing ECO Regional Electricity Market (ECO REM). The representatives of the European Commission, Eurasian Economic Commission, World Bank and Asian Development Bank shared best practices and lessons learnt on power market integration and implementation of infrastructure projects. Experts from SAARC Energy Centre and CDC “Energiya” discussed current developments in the regions of Central and South Asia in terms of energy supply and demand, connectivity and electricity trade. The participants also discussed further steps on establishing ECO REM which offers multiple benefits to participating states in terms of energy security, resource complementarity and economies of scale.