Guwahati: Assam and the United Kingdom on Wednesday discussed a roadmap to deepen cooperation in investment, trade, clean energy, infrastructure and emerging technologies ahead of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which is set to come into force on July 15.During the meeting with British Deputy High Commissioner for East and Northeast India, Dr Andrew Fleming and senior UK officials, Assam chief secretary Dr Ravi Kota reviewed opportunities to leverage the FTA for expanding trade, attracting investments and strengthening technology partnerships in the state.The UK delegation included Haimanti Poddar, Senior Climate and Energy Adviser and Sustainable Mobility Policy Lead (India) at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).“In the context of the India–UK Free Trade Agreement coming into force on 15 July 2026, we discussed a strategic roadmap to strengthen Assam–UK cooperation across investment promotion, export growth, technology integration, infrastructure development and skills enhancement, leveraging Assam’s rapidly evolving economic ecosystem,” Dr Kota wrote on X.A key highlight of the meeting was the presentation of a UK PACT-supported Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Need Assessment and Analysis Report for Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL). The report outlines measures to improve grid reliability, facilitate greater integration of renewable energy and support Assam’s transition towards cleaner energy sources.The two sides also discussed plans to organise an Assam-UK Infrastructure Roundtable in Guwahati to encourage collaboration in sustainable urbanisation, transport, flood resilience and climate-resilient infrastructure. Potential engagement with UK Export Finance (UKEF) for supporting infrastructure projects was also explored.Emerging technology cooperation featured prominently in the talks, with discussions covering opportunities under the proposed UK-India Sovereign AI Partnership. Areas of interest include trusted AI infrastructure, sovereign cloud capabilities, advanced computing systems and AI governance frameworks aimed at supporting Assam’s digital transformation initiatives.Dr Kota wrote that the meeting reaffirmed a shared commitment to translating the opportunities arising from the India-UK FTA into tangible outcomes through enhanced trade, investment, technology partnerships and institutional collaboration.
