SAARC Energy Profiles:

About SAARC Energy Centre

The Islamabad Declaration adopted at the Twelfth Summit (Islamabad, 4-6 January 2004), inter alia, called for “A study on creating a South Asian Energy Cooperation including the concept of an Energy Ring should be undertaken by the Working Group on Energy”. Subsequently, the Working Group on Energy was set-up which held its first meeting on 15-16 June 2004 and identified a number of areas for regional cooperation including the possibility of setting up a SAARC Energy Center. Pakistan offered to host the SAARC Energy Center.

The Concept Paper was accordingly prepared by Pakistan and approved, after some modifications, by the SAARC Working Group on Energy in its 2nd meeting on 16-17 December 2005. The Concept Paper was then approved by the SAARC Energy Ministers
during their first meeting held at Islamabad on 1 October 2005. The SAARC Energy Ministers, in a Joint Declaration, also agreed on, inter alia, immediate establishment of SAARC Energy Centre in Pakistan.

During the 13th SAARC Summit held at Dhaka in November 2005 the Heads of State or Government welcomed the Joint Statement of the first SAARC Energy Ministers meeting and agreed, inter alia, to the recommendation to establish the SAARC Energy Centre in Islamabad.

Subsequently, SAARC Energy Centre (SEC) was established at HDIP and on recommendation of the Government of Pakistan the Director General Hydrocarbon Development Institute of Pakistan (HDIP) was appointed its Director by Secretary General SAARC w.e.f. 1 March 2006. As provided in the Concept Paper for establishment of the SAARC Energy Centre, until separate budgetary resources become available to the SEC, the nucleus facilities for the SEC were provided by HDIP