April 2013
THE REGIONAL Electricity Regulators Association of Southern Africa (RERA) is developing a five-year strategic plan that will result in the crafting of energy regulatory frameworks and facilitating the creation of a viable regional energy market by 2017.

The strategic plan for 2013- 2017 will aim to develop energy regulatory frameworks, instruments and methods to promote regional integration and harmonization. This is expected to facilitate the development of a viable regional energy market in SADC.

There are also plans to develop the capacity of existing energy and electricity regulators in the region.

This will include advocating for the establishment of autonomous national regulators in the region and developing a knowledge pool of information on the energy sector.

RERA is presently made up of 10 regulatory bodies from Angola, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritius and Seychelles do not have energy regulators and are at various stages of energy sector reforms.

The Office for Electricity Regulation (ORE) of Madagascar is not yet a member of RERA.

Four of the existing RERA members are electricity regulators, five are energy regulators and two are multi-sector (energy/water) regulators.

The plan envisages the promotion of universal access to modern energy services by facilitating the development of energy infrastructure for under-served countries and encouraging the migration towards cost-reflective charges, but also paying attention to low-income population.

In addition, there are plans to position RERA to proactively influence developments in the SADC energy sector.

This will involve, among other things, transforming the organization from an electricity to an energy regulators’ association as well as enhancing stakeholder communication and advocacy.

The strategic plan with details of specific initiatives under each of the strategic objectives will be distributed to cooperating partners and other stakeholders as soon as it is formally approved by the RERA Executive Committee at its first meeting later this year.