Energy Security in an Uncertain World: How HVDC link with India shields Sri Lanka

Cross-border energy trade shields nations from fossil fuel shocks, supply risks, and regional instability. A High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) interconnection between Sri Lanka and India could transform energy security, resilience, and cooperation amid global volatility. This article examines how HVDC and grid integration embodies advance modern energy security for Sri Lanka’s future. The four pillars of energy security Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability and Affordability are all addressed here. 
AVAILABILITY: access to India’s diverse grid multiplies resources. 

Akash Sovis

Huda Fatima

ACCESSIBILITY: HVDC ensures flexibility during peaks and renewables variability. 
ACCEPTABILITY: integration reduces emissions and supports sustainability. 
AFFORDABILITY: cross-border exchange lowers costs, curbs volatility, and eases infrastructure burdens.
The planned HVDC link will be a ±320 kV bipole line running roughly 285 km between Madurai and Anuradhapura, incorporating around 50 km of submarine cable under the Palk Strait. The initial phase targets a transmission capacity of 500 MW, soon to be upgraded to 1,000 MW to accommodate future growth. Implementation is spearheaded by India’s Power Grid Corporation and Sri Lanka’s Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) based on exhaustive technical reviews, site evaluations, and international best practice.
Key facts:
Estimated cost: about $1.2 billion expected completion by 2030.
Technology: Voltage Source Converter HVDC system.
Purpose: Enables both nations to import/export electricity according to seasonal surpluses and deficits, optimising renewables and grid stability.
Currently at university of Staffordshire we conduct extensive research on fault detection methods of HVDC transmission,  including signal processing as well as machine learning based methods. Collaborators Lead Development Application Engineer at GE Vernova, Stafford, UK and BEng (Hons) Electrical Engineering at University of Staffordshire UK Huda Fatima,  and MEng Electrical Engineering (4th Year student) at University of Nottingham UK Akash Sovis have contributed to this project. 
In February 2025 Sri Lanka lifted its vehicle import ban reopening its market to cars and electric vehicles. The Chinese BYD dominated the market capturing 90% of the EV market and with Toyota led total car registrations together, accounting for half  the total registrations. Surging public interest in electric vehicles raises pressing concerns, as Sri Lanka’s weak charging infrastructure outside Colombo hinders long-distance travel and exposes critical network gaps.
Significant carbon footprint
Under the Paris agreement,  Sri Lanka is required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 14.5% across power, transport, industry, waste, forestry and agriculture sector by 2030 including a 70% renewable energy generation. However, currently the country’s energy mix is heavily dependent on fossil fuels meaning that most EVs are charged with grid electricity, causing a significant carbon footprint. 
Sri Lanka’s transition to renewable energy depends on first resolving grid instability. The push for rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems raises challenges, especially highlighted during the February 2025 blackout, where the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) struggled to restore power due to PV surges. The core issue is low demand periods, when excess solar reduces system inertia, increasing grid risk. 
In September 2024, the CEB curtailed 160MW of solar and deployed higher-inertia plants to stabilise demand. Since solar output mismatches demand, curtailment is common. A proposed alternative is Smart Charging, using Time-of-Use (TOU) tariffs with cheaper off-peak rates to align surplus supply with demand. However, Sri Lanka’s deteriorating infrastructure limits feasibility. Government EV strategies range from market-based to aggressive policy-driven penetration, projecting EV charging demand up to 12,485 GWh by 2050. Will Sri Lanka be able to meet such peak demands? Is Sri Lanka’s energy secure with these new trends? What will happen if these new trends cannot sustain the demand and the stability of the grid worsens?
South Asia’s grid anchor
As global turbulence and climate risks reshape energy economics, India entered 2025 as South Asia’s grid anchor. It operates a 476 GW power system with about 49% non-fossil capacity at 235.7 GW and 240 GW of thermal. Over the past decade, total power capacity rose by 56 percent. Reliability improved as nationwide shortages fell from 4.2% to 0.1%, while India electrified 28.6million households and lifted per capita use by 45.8%. India’s renewables base proved substantial, with 110.9 GW of solar, 51.3 GW of wind, further backed by its National Green Hydrogen Mission. IRENA ranks India fourth in total renewable capacity, third in solar, and fourth in wind, led by Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. 
That said, per capita use still nears 1,300 kWh, averaging well below the 3,000 kWh global baseline. The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects emerging economies to account for roughly 85% of incremental global electricity demand and projects India’s share of global energy use to nearly double by 2035. Scale is catching up as India builds regional connectivity and opens power markets. 
It sets out with its 2022 climate pledge committing to a 45% cut in carbon emissions and lift non-fossil capacity to half of the total by 2030. The National Electricity Plan turns towards system planning, aiming at a 500 GW of non-fossil capacity and a stronger corridor to move renewables to load centres. The CEA’s plan sequences new HVDC lines, storage integration, and market access, with its Green Day Ahead Market providing a standard template for power trade. 
On the ground, India operates major HVDC lines such as the Raigarh - Pugalur LCC link (800kV, 6GW), a multiterminal LCC North East – Agra link (800 kV, 6 GW), the Champa–Kurukshetra LCC link (800 kV, 3 GW), and the VSC based Pugalur – Thrissur line (320 kV, 2 GW). New capacity is growing, with Hitachi enabling a new 800kV 6GW Bhadla – Fatehpur link to transfer Rajasthan’s solar power across the grid, while Siemens looks to modernise the country’s oldest 500 MW Vindhyachal HVDC link. 
Sri Lanka’s challenge
Across the Palk Strait, Sri Lanka faces a similar challenge. It operates an islanded grid of about 4,648 MW, with roughly 1,141 MW of rooftop solar on distribution. In 2024, its renewables base led by hydro, wind and solar supplied about 53% of electricity, while per capita use remained at 693 kWh, leaving ample room for growth. In June 2024, parliament set an execution plan to unbundle the CEB, launch a wholesale market, and enable regional power trade. These steps back a 70% renewables target by 2030 and a carbon neutral power system by 2050. Its resource potential is strong, with offshore wind near 56 GW and a solid solar resource across the lowlands. To capture maximum potential at minimal cost, Sri Lanka looks to align itself with regional connectivity efforts led by India

Across Asia, as the centre of gravity is shifting from stand-alone grids to shared systems, regional trade is actively getting into practice. ASEAN’s Lao Thailand Malaysia Singapore power integration project has already carried Lao hydro to Singapore through Thailand and Malaysia. In 2024, it doubled its import capacity, demonstrating that multilateral rules can smooth intermittency and reduce costs. India and the United Kingdom’s Green Grids Initiative, One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG), answers a simple question: how far can grids go? Launched at COP26, it aims to connect national and regional grids,  so that renewable electricity can move across time zones, catalyse investment at resource rich sites, and build cross border transmission links under fair trading rules. It looks to modernise domestic grids, allowing them to absorb high shares of clean power. China’s Global Energy Interconnection (GEI) is a top-down approach of the same goal, a path to build a centrally led super grid in stages. It starts from national UHV and HVDC corridors, expanding to continental and then transcontinental links, with Beijing driving its standards and finances. However, for Sri Lanka, the first move is far more direct.
India sits between South Asia and ASEAN with liquid day ahead and real time markets,  and an established cross border trading framework. Once Sri Lanka connects to India via the 320 kV 5 GW Madurai – Anuradhapura link, the OSOWOG’s agenda becomes tangible in Colombo. Renewable imports can steady the system when hydro is tight, and exports can continue to flow when Mannar wind runs strong. Through standardised trading and frameworks, and concessional funding for green links, the overall cost of power can come down.
The super grid idea shows the long arc, but the first step is a reliable link across the Palk Strait that plugs Sri Lanka into a ready market next door. If Sri Lanka wants a more secure and affordable energy future, is this not the moment to lay the first mile for a regional supergrid? 
Dr. Manilka Jayasooriya is a Lecturer in Electrical Engineering at the University of Staffordshire UK. He could be reached at [email protected]