India’s Ministry of Power has informed that India and Maldives plan to set up a transmission interconnection to facilitate the transport of renewable energy between the two countries. The proposal was discussed during the meeting between the Indian Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy and Maldives’ Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Technology in New Delhi.
During the meeting, both leaders proposed two MoUs, one on energy cooperation and the other on transmission interconnection under One Sun, One World, One Grid (OSOWOG). As part of the OSOWOG initiative, India and the Maldives have proposed to establish transmission interconnection for renewable power transfer to help the Maldives with its energy transition. A draft agreement for MoU on transmission interconnection is being prepared, under which an Indian technical team would visit the Maldives to assess its technical feasibility. Following that, a detailed project report would be prepared in collaboration with Indian and Maldives agencies, which would include an undersea cable route survey as well as network augmentation in Male.
In December 2020, the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved a $107.4 million project to help Maldives accelerate its transition to renewable energy and support sustainable recovery.
REGlobal’s Views: Maldives, being an island nation, depends heavily on fossil fuels for meeting its power requirements. Transmission connection between India and Maldives for renewable energy procurement will help the country green its energy mix.
