ERB not yet decided over Zesco tariffs

Electricity outages in the Southern region have bedevilled SADC countries in the recent past. Zambia was no exception in this regard. Zambians were continuously exposed to load shedding which at times last for several hours before power was restored. Now however, the country's utility company - the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) has announced that it has a power surpluss of 200 MW due to a fall in demand and the completion of upgrading works. The utility company has now come under public attack when it announced a 66 percent increase in the tariffs to consumers. ZESCO claims that even after such an increment its charges will be the lowest in the sub region. The following article appeared in the Times of Zambia of April 1, 2009:

THE Energy Regulation Board (ERB) has not yet made a decision on Zesco’s proposed 66 per cent increase in electricity tariffs as alleged by some media reports. ERB chairperson, Sikota Wina, said in a statement in Lusaka that the ERB had to follow legal procedures before it could decide on whether to approve or reject the proposed tariff increment by Zesco. Mr Wina said the ERB was committed to adhering to the legal process as outlined in section 8 of the Electricity Act, which provides for a consultative process among the consumers.

“The law provides for a consultative process on adjustment of electricity tariffs and this process entails, among other things, that the public is consulted by submitting comments and participating at a public hearing where arguments for and against the proposed increment are presented before the board. Consequently, until the process has been exhausted or concluded, the ERB will not have made a decision on the matter,” he said.

He said the ERB had just recently called for public comments on Zesco’s application as evidenced by advertisements currently running in the print media. He said it would, therefore, be absurd and deceitful for the ERB to have already made a decision on the matter and then proceed to invite public comments on the same.

“The ERB, therefore, categorically states that it has not yet made a decision on Zesco’s application to increase electricity tariffs. Further, in arriving at any decision on the matter, the ERB will proceed in accordance with procedures stipulated by the law. Members of the public are, therefore, hereby advised to disregard any reports to the contrary and are encouraged to submit any comments they may have on the proposed tariff increase,” he said.