From May 7-11, in coordination with the South Africa Department of Energy’s Independent Power Producer (IPP) Office, CLDP led a study tour for delegates from five South Asian countries to Johannesburg and Pretoria to learn about South Africa’s competitive power market and cross-border energy trading in the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP). The IPP Office hosted delegates from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka for sessions on electricity generation planning, tendering and evaluation, power purchase agreements, and credit enhancement, as well as two roundtable discussions with representatives from banks and project developers. Later in the week, the delegates met with Eskom, South Africa’s electricity public utility, as well as lawyers working in the energy sector and representatives of SAPP’s Project Assistance Unit. As governments of South Asian countries seek to increase private sector participation in their energy markets and facilitate cross-border energy trade, the South African experience provides valuable examples and lessons learned. Energy security and competitive energy markets open to private sector participation, including by American companies, are of strategic interest to the U.S. government, and this program marks the culmination of three years of CLDP assistance to South Asian governments on energy issues.