Africa-Press – Zambia. The position of the government, the Ministry of Energy and my office is that ZESCO has to follow procedure in changing any charges or fees under it. Further, ZESCO has to follow what the regulator says. The regulator in this case is the Energy Regulation Board or ERB.
This means that the removal of the subsidy, which cushioned the cost of connections and meter separation, in line with the provisions of the law, can only be done through ERB and not by ZESCO alone. The ERB has indicated that the application by ZESCO to revise connection charges by 213 percent was deferred, pending an in-depth study and further consultations. ERB expects ZESCO to resubmit an application for connection and meter separation fees once the conditions given to the utility firm are met. ERB has also revealed that at the last tariff application in 2019, ZESCO applied for a revision in electricity tariffs and connection charges, but at the time only the tariffs were approved and revised.
ERB was established by the laws of Zambia to regulate undertakings/utilities in the energy sector including Electricity, Fossil Fuels (petroleum) and Other Forms of Energy such as solar and coal, through specialised licences it would issue. Currently, regulated utilities include ZESCO, Copperbelt Energy Corporation and Lunsemfwa Hydro Power Company under the electricity sub-sector. ERB also regulates the refining, marketing of, importation and transportation of crude and finished petroleum products under the petroleum sub-sector.
According to the Energy Regulation Act No. 12 of 2019 and the Electricity Act number 11 of 2019, the functions of the Energy Regulation Board include to “determine, regulate and review charges and tariffs in the energy sector”. This includes fees and tariffs charged by ZESCO.
For More News And Analysis About Zambia Follow Africa-Press
