Related documents
- Is commenced by Energy Regulation Act (Commencement) Order, 2020
- Repeals Energy Regulation Act, 1995
Zambia
Energy Regulation Act, 2019
Act 12 of 2019
- Published on 27 December 2019
- Assented to on 27 December 2019
- Commenced on 21 February 2020 by Energy Regulation Act (Commencement) Order, 2020
- [This is the version of this document from 27 December 2019.]
Part I – Preliminary provisions
1. Short title and commencement
This Act may be cited as the Energy Regulation Act, 2019, and shall come into operation on the date appointed by the Minister by statutory instrument.2. Interpretation
In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—"activity" means a commercial activity, excluding an activity which the Minister, by statutory instrument, declares not to constitute an activity for the purposes of this Act whether public or private, for the—(a)production, generation transmission, distribution or supply of energy;(b)production, refining, transportation, storage, trading or supply of energy or fuel; or(c)manufacturing, distribution or supply of equipment used for any activity mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b), other than equipment—(i)designed for ordinary household use;(ii)of a design or type prescribed by the Minister;(iii)designed or used for a purpose, or in circumstances, that may be prescribed;(iv)for the export of electricity;(v)for the import of electricity;(vi)for the sale and trading of electricity by asset and non-asset owner; or(vii)for transmission and distribution service provision by intermediary power trader or off-taker;"arbitration" has the meaning assigned to the word in the Arbitration Act, 2000;[Act No. 9 of 2000]"associate" has the meaning assigned to the word in the Anti-Corruption Act, 2012;[Act No. 3 of 2012]"base cost" means the capital costs associated with conceiving, designing, planning and implementing through engineering, procurement and construction of an enterprise for which a licence is being sought, applying the best utility industry practice standards, including equipment, materials, civil works, development costs, pre-operating costs and associated imported duties and taxes;"Board" means the Board of the Energy Regulation Board constituted under section 5;"Chairperson" means a person appointed as Chairperson under section 5;"charges" include prices, fees, rates, surcharges, levies, penalties, deposits, connection charges or fees, use of system charges or any other charge made for the provision of any service, commodity or product that a licensee renders in the course of carrying out its licensed activity;"common carrier" has the meaning assigned to the words in the Electricity Act, 2019;[Act No. 11 of 2019]"Competition and Consumer Protection Commission" means the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission established under the Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2010;[Act No. 24 of 2010]"consumer" means a person to whom energy is supplied or who has applied and paid for the supply of energy;"Director-General" means the person appointed as Director-General under section 8;"Emoluments Commission" means the Emoluments Commission established under the Constitution;[Cap. 1]"energy" means—(a)a source of electrical, mechanical, thermal, nuclear or chemical power for any use, and includes electricity, petroleum, coal, other fossil fuels, geothermal, natural gas, biomass and its derivatives municipal waste, solar, wind and tidal wave power;and(b)energy produced by any other means that the Minister may, on recommendation of the Board, prescribe by statutory instrument;"Energy Regulation Board" means the Energy Regulation Board continued under section 3;"enterprise" means an entity engaged in the production, generation, transmission, distribution, supply of energy, intermediary power trading, refining, transportation, storage, trading or supply of fuel or any other licensed activity under this Act;"inspector" means a person appointed as inspector under section 23;"legally disqualified" means having no legal capacity as provided in section 4 of the Mental Health Act, 2019;[Act No. 6 of 2019]"licence" means a licence issued by the Board under section 12;"licensee" means a holder of a licence in relation to—(a)petroleum, in the—(i)pipeline transportation of crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas;(ii)refining of petroleum products;(iii)processing of natural gas;(iv)terminal storage of petroleum products;(v)wholesale marketing of petroleum products;(vi)distribution, importation and exportation of petroleum products;(vii)retail of petroleum products;(viii)transportation of petroleum products; and(ix)transportation and marketing of coal;(b)electricity, in the—(i)generation of electricity;(ii)transmission of electricity;(iii)distribution of electricity;(iv)supply or trading of electricity; and(v)system operation of the power system and transmission and distribution service provision;(c)renewable energy, in the—(i)manufacture, supply, installation and maintenance of renewable energy generating equipment; and(ii)production, storage, marketing and transportation of renewable energy; and(d)any other activity as the Minister may prescribe by statutory instrument;"licensed activity" means an activity authorised under a licence issued by the Board;"permit" means a permit referred to under section 22;"power purchase agreement" has the meaning assigned to the words in the Electricity Act, 2019;[Act No. 11 of 2019]"power supply agreement" has the meaning assigned to the words in the Electricity Act, 2019;[Act No. 11 of 2019]"prudent utility practice" means the practice, method, and act at a particular time which, in the exercise of reasonable judgment, in the light of the facts, including the practices, methods, and acts engaged in or approved by a significant portion of the electrical utility industry prior thereto, known at the time, the decision was made, would have been Act expected to accomplish the desired result at the lowest reasonable cost consistent with reliability, safety, and expedition;"relative" has the meaning assigned to the word in the Anti-Corruption Act, 2012;[Act No. 3 of 2012]"renewable energy" means energy that is derived from natural sources that are replenished constantly;"repealed Act" means the Energy Regulation Board Act, 1995;[Cap. 436]"tariff" means the unit price relatingto the production, supply and distribution of energy to any consumer;"Vice-Chairperson" means the person elected as Vice-Chairperson under section 5;"Zambia Bureau of Standards" means the Zambia Bureau of Standards established under the Standards Act, 2017; and[Act No. 4 of 2017]"Zambia Environmental Management Agency" means the Zambia Environmental Management Agency established under the Environmental Management Act, 2011.[Act No. 12 of 2011]Part II – The Energy Regulation Board
3. Continuation of Energy Regulation Board
4. Functions of Energy Regulation Board
The functions of the Energy Regulation Board are to—5. Establishment of Board
6. Functions of Board
7. Delegation of functions
8. Director-General, Secretary and other staff
Part III – Licences
9. Single licensing system
10. Prohibition of establishing or operating enterprise without licence
11. Application for licence
Subject to the Environmental Management Act, 2011, a person who intends to establish or operate an enterprise or carry out a licensed activity shall apply to the Energy Regulation Board for a licence in the prescribed manner and form, on payment of the prescribed fee.[Act No. 12 of 2011]12. Consideration and grant of licence
13. Provisional licence
The Energy Regulation Board may, where the applicant meets the requirements of this Act, issue a provisional licence authorising the applicant to establish or operate an enterprise in accordance with this Act, for a specified period and on conditions that may be attached to the provisional licence.14. Conditions for refusal to grant licence
15. Validity, terms and conditions of licence
16. Variation of conditions of licence
17. Surrender of licence
18. Transfer, ceding, pledge, assignment, disposal or encumbrance of licence
19. Suspension or revocation of licence
20. Renewal of licence
21. Register of licences
22. Permit
A person who intends to construct an energy facility, installation or common carrier shall, prior to the issuance of a licence under the Act, apply for a permit in the prescribed manner and form.Part IV – Inspectorate
23. Inspectors
24. Powers of inspectors
25. Arrest without warrant
26. Seizure of property
A law enforcement officer may seize and detain property which the inspector has reason to believe was used to commit an offence under this Act until an order of the court is made regarding the disposal thereof.27. Restoration of property
28. Appointment of prosecutors
The Director of Public Prosecutions may at the request of the Energy Regulation Board appoint by name or rank an inspector or officer to undertake prosecution of offences alleged to have been committed by any person in contravention of this Act.29. Honorary inspector
Part V – Consumer affairs
30. Consumer councils
31. Quality of goods and services
Subject to the provision of the Standards Act, a licensee engaged in activities in the energy sector shall—[Act No. 4 of 2017]32. Guidelines for handling complaints
Part VI – Objections and appeals
33. Objection to licence application
34. Appeal from decision of Energy Regulation Board
A person who is aggrieved with any decision of the Energy Regulation Board may appeal to the Minister within thirty days of decision in the prescribed manner and form.35. Appeals Tribunal
36. Functions of tribunal
37. Secretariat of Tribunal
The Ministry responsible for energy shall provide the necessary secretarial and accounting services to the Tribunal to perform its functions under this Act.38. Proceedings of Tribunal
39. Costs
40. Appeal from decisison of Tribunal
A person aggrieved with a decision of the Tribunal may appeal to the High Court within thirty days of the determination.41. Allowances of members and secretariat
There shall be paid to the members and the secretariat of the Tribunal allowances that the Emoluments Comission may, on the recommendation of the Minister, determine.42. Rules
Part VII – The Energy Fund
43. Establishment of Fund
44. Administration of Fund and accounts
45. Annual report
Part VIII – General provisions
46. Energy Regulation Board to issue guidelines
47. Services of notices
48. Prohibition of tampering with quality and illegal vending
49. Offences by principal officers of body corporate or unincorporated body
Where an offence under this Act is committed by a body corporate or unincorporate body, with the knowledge, consent or connivance of a director, manager or shareholder of that body corporate or unincorporate body, that director, manager or shareholder is liable, on conviction, to the penalty specified for the offence.50. Information to be furnished to Energy Regulation Board
51. Compounding of certain offence by Energy Regulation Board
Subject to the written consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions and where the Energy Regulation Board is satisfied after an investigation, and a person admits that the person has committed an offence under this Act, the Energy Regulation Board may compound the offence by collecting from that person a sum of money that the Energy Regulation Board considers appropriate, but not exceeding fifty percent of the maximum amount of the fine to which that person would have been liable on conviction, and a person having made that payment shall not thereafter be prosecuted in relation to the offence so compounded.52. Administrative penalty
53. Direction to cease operation of unlicenced activity
54. Regulations
55. Repeal of Cap. 436
History of this document
21 February 2020
Commenced by
Energy Regulation Act (Commencement) Order, 2020
27 December 2019 this version
Assented to
Cited documents 0
Documents citing this one 55
Gazette 53
Book 1
1. | Legal Media Handbook |
Judgment 1
1. | People v The Attorney General & Energy Regulation Board (Appeal 33 of 2020) [2020] ZMCA 86 (29 September 2020) |
Subsidiary legislation
Title
|
|
---|---|
Energy Regulation (General) Regulations, 2023 | Statutory Instrument 41 of 2023 |
Energy Regulation (General) Regulations, 2021
Repealed
|
Statutory Instrument 42 of 2021 |
Energy Regulation (Appeals Tribunal) Rules, 2023 | Statutory Instrument 5 of 2023 |