International Solar Alliance (ISA) has signed a country partnership agreement (CPA) with the Bhutan government to implement multiple programmes/projects in the country to enhance its energy access and ensure energy security through solar energy interventions and diversification of energy portfolio.
ISA – headquartered in India – is also working with Bhutan on developing a national solar energy roadmap and provides regulatory support for developing solar tariffs, licensing and de-licensing regulations, standards, and guidelines to the electricity regulatory authority (ERA) of the Himalayan kingdom.
“This CPA signing will further bolster our actions and facilitate the attainment of our goals. I commend the dedication of Bhutanese officials and my colleagues, whose efforts have made this partnership meaningful and fruitful,” said Ajay Mathur, director general, ISA, after the signing event in Bhutan on Monday.
ISA – international organisation with 119 member and signatory countries – is also collaborating with the department of energy of Bhutan government and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) to establish the Solar Technology Application Resource Centre (STAR-C) at the College of Science & Technology (CST) under the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB), with funding support from the French government. The partnership between Bhutan and the ISA began when Bhutan joined the Alliance in July 2022.
Mission of the ISA, set up at India’s initiative, is to unlock US$ 1 trillion of investments in solar by 2030 while reducing technology and its financing costs. The initiative was launched by Prime Minister Narendera Modi and then French President Francois Hollande on the sidelines of the 21st session of the UN climate conference (COP21) in November, 2015 in Paris.
ISA partners with multilateral development banks (MDBs), development financial institutions (DFIs), private and public sector organisations, civil society, and other international institutions to deploy cost-effective and transformational solutions through solar energy, especially in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
