January 6, 2026
NEW DELHI – India’s ambition to create a new energy map is coming to light with plans for the nation to be at the centre of a cross-continent web of green power connections to South-east Asia, the Middle East and even Europe.
It is discussing building undersea power cables to bring solar energy to Singapore. To its west, India is planning connections with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia.
Additionally, it is looking at deepening energy cooperation in South Asia, further tapping into hydropower from Nepal and Bhutan while looking at connecting to the Sri Lankan grid to create a wider South Asian electricity network.
“What India envisages is that in 10 to 20 years, eventually East Asia could be connected to the Middle East and Europe, but that interconnection is likely to happen through India,” said Mr Ashish Khanna, director general of International Solar Alliance (ISA), in an interview with The Straits Times.
Mr Khanna noted that it was a “long-term vision”.
“India has (power) interconnections with Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal already. Large amounts of power are being traded,” he said.
The ISA is a global intergovernmental organisation launched by India and France in 2015 and, through its One Sun, One World, One Grid initiative, aims to connect different regional grids from Asia to Europe, the Gulf and Africa.
Strategic calculus
India wants to be a regional leader in the power stakes as countries discuss how to trade and transport energy across long distances – a clear trend as the world consumes more electricity and as great amounts of renewable energy are generated from solar, wind and hydropower.
In Europe, regional electricity interconnectors have rapidly expanded, helping to shift power around the region more efficiently, for instance, excess hydropower to Britain.
And in South-east Asia, there is growing focus on building the Asean regional grid, a long-planned network. Singapore aims to import around 6 gigawatts (GW) of low-carbon electricity by 2035 from IndoChina, Malaysia and Indonesia, spurring interest in regional interconnections.
Another project that has sparked much interest is the proposed Australia-Asia Power Link, a US$24 billion (S$30.9 billion) renewable energy project that would connect Singapore to a vast solar power plant in Australia’s Northern Territory.
The growing presence of China in the region’s energy infrastructure is the other driver for India as New Delhi jostles for regional influence.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, for instance, includes transmission lines and energy infrastructure connecting Gwadar Port to Xinjiang.
“These (Indian energy moves) should be seen as part of India’s desire to become a clean energy exporter and largely shape or reconfigure the energy markets. But also in some ways, positioning itself as a critical infrastructure player because this is the next stage of how power is going to be transported,” said Professor Harsh V. Pant, vice-president of studies and foreign policy at Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi, and an expert in international relations.
“And India wants to be at the beginning of that curve,” he added.
But it remains to be seen how effectively India will tackle challenges such as the cost and feasibility of certain planned projects, as well as potential geopolitical disruptions in other nations.
Power to Singapore
The proposal to transport solar power through undersea transmission cables from India to Singapore, viewed by New Delhi as an entry point into South-east Asia, is one of India’s most ambitious energy ventures.
Initial discussions between India and Singapore have already explored potential routes and the framework for such collaboration.
A spokesman for Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) described these discussions as “in the early exploratory stages”.
The spokesman added that to date, the EMA has granted 8.35GW of conditional approvals for electricity imports from Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam, of which 3GW of imports from Indonesia have received conditional licences (CLs). These include a mix of solar, hydropower and wind power.
“Electricity imports are a key part of Singapore’s strategy to diversify our energy mix and decarbonise our power sector, which currently contributes around 40 per cent of national carbon emissions. EMA will continue working with credible partners to bring in low-carbon electricity imports in support of Singapore’s net zero by 2050 goal.”
Some routes that have been discussed include an undersea cable from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which are strategically situated in the Indian Ocean, to Singapore.
Although considered a costly proposition, the land route passing through Myanmar via Thailand is also being discussed. However, its feasibility remains uncertain due to the ongoing civil war in Myanmar.
The proposal with Singapore is still at a very early stage, concurred Mr Khanna, adding that EDF, the French government-owned multinational electric utility company, has been engaged as a consultant for a joint study to assess the long-distance solar projects, including those with Singapore.
“We expect the study to be ready by around February or March,” said Mr Khanna, adding that the study would then be presented to different countries, including Singapore, for “next steps”.
Bridging the Gulf
India is further along in its discussions with the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
India’s power minister, Mr Manohar Lal Khattar, revealed in June 2025 that New Delhi plans to invest about 900 billion rupees (S$12.8 billion) in two transmission lines – 470 billion rupees for Saudi Arabia and 430 billion rupees for the UAE – to export renewable energy. A detailed assessment report is already under way with Saudi Arabia, while it is set to start soon with the UAE, said Mr Khanna.
The transmission lines will carry 2GW of electricity each, according to current plans.
India’s consideration of cross-continental energy links is largely driven by the growth of its domestic renewable energy sector. Large strides in solar power, in particular, have positioned it as the world’s fourth-largest in renewable energy installed capacity, trailing China, the US and Brazil.
While it is still reliant on coal and gas to power its economy, it is aiming to boost the share of renewable energy to 50 per cent by 2030, up from the current 28 per cent.
Conduit for electricity
India is not just strengthening its longstanding energy links with its neighbours but is also aspiring to be at the heart of a South Asian grid.
In June 2025, Nepal started selling up to 40 megawatts (MW) of hydropower daily to Bangladesh through India’s electricity grid, marking the first instance of trilateral energy cooperation in South Asia.
The power enters the Indian electricity grid from Nepal and is then exported to Bangladesh through the grid.
While India’s strained relations with Pakistan rule out subcontinent-wide cooperation, in November 2025, India and Nepal finalised plans to build three high-capacity transmission lines as part of Nepal’s target of exporting 10GW of hydroelectricity to India by the 2030s.
Additionally, India is also expanding energy ties with Sri Lanka. The two countries have signed an agreement to connect their national grids via 285km of high-voltage direct current cables, including 50km under the Palk Strait.
Separately, India and the UAE have signed a trilateral agreement with Sri Lanka to develop an energy hub in Trincomalee in Sri Lanka’s east.
India’s longstanding hydropower cooperation with Bhutan remains a strong part of the energy cooperation in South Asia, with the two countries signing an agreement in 2025 to further cooperate on renewable energy.
The challenges
Still, there are challenges to India’s ambitions. Undersea power lines are costly and time-consuming to plan and execute, and vulnerable to geopolitical uncertainty.
Analysts noted that on top of the high project cost, an additional challenge was ensuring the solar energy transported through these cables would be cost-effective compared with the power available in the recipient country.
Similarly, challenges also exist within India’s neighbourhood. The deepening cooperation within South Asia comes amid political and economic instability.
Nepal underwent a leadership change after a Gen Z-driven uprising in September, while internal turmoil in Bangladesh has seen ties with India deteriorate, stalling any new discussions on energy cooperation.
But ultimately, analysts noted, access to cheap electricity remains a powerful lure. Weak and uneven power distribution, fuel shortages and limited investment capacity are likely to drive increased energy collaboration in South Asia.
Mr Amit Bhandari, a senior fellow for energy, investment and connectivity at Gateway House, noted that many economies in South Asia struggle with suboptimal power grids, which they are unlikely to resolve on their own.
“So being connected to the Indian grid can potentially help them to remove some of the inefficiencies,” he said.
“It has been in the last few years that India could execute or do this kind of stuff. There is ability and intent (now).”