Global Partnerships: India’s initiatives to promote cross-border energy cooperation

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India is rapidly advancing its domestic clean energy transition while simultaneously strengthening international partnerships. This reflects a deliberate strategy to make energy cooperation a core part of its economic and geopolitical agenda. This approach is reinforcing India’s position as a clean energy leader, particularly in the Global South.

Against this backdrop, this article examines India’s evolving global partnerships in the energy sector, focusing on cross-border electricity trade expansion, its stance at recent the Conference of the Parties (COP) summits, cooperation on critical minerals and engagement with the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

According to Central Transmission Utility of India Limited’s Inter-State Transmission System Rolling Plan 2030–31 (Interim Report), India’s cross-border transmission network now connects its national grid with Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar through a mix of synchronous and asynchronous links at 11 kV, 33 kV, 132 kV and 400 kV levels. These interconnections form the backbone of regional electricity trade in South Asia.

India is in discussions with various countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France and the Netherlands, to forge partnerships for the joint exploration, extraction, processing and recycling of critical minerals. India recognises the importance of critical minerals as key inputs for solar cells and battery energy storage systems. Securing partnerships in this area is therefore a strategic step to strengthen supply chains of such inputs.

Solar Power Plant Telangana II in state of Telangana, India. Source: Wikipedia