ECB’s plan to regulate all energy

The Electricity Control Board (ECB) has outlined, in its recently released Integrated Strategic Business Plan for 2026 to 2031, how it intends to expand its regulatory mandate from electricity to include gas and downstream petroleum.

In her statement, the Chairperson of the Board, Evangelina Nailenge, said that “effective regulation enables measurable national outcomes”. She added: “As government advances the transition towards the Namibia Energy Regulatory Authority (NERA), the ECB remains committed to ensuring a stable, orderly and well-governed progression.”

According to ECB chief executive Robert Kahimise, the plan “outlines the Electricity Control Board’s priorities for regulating a secure, affordable, reliable and sustainable electricity sector, while preparing for the transition to the Namibia Energy Regulatory Authority (NERA)”.

The anticipated NERA Act will consolidate the new Electricity Act, the Gas Bill, the revised Petroleum Act and downstream petroleum regulations, according to the introduction to the plan. “This places the ECB at an inflection point: it must continue delivering under its current electricity mandate,” the introduction reads, “while building the governance systems, skills and digital capabilities required for a future unified multi-energy mandate under NERA.”

Phased transition

The transition to NERA will be phased. In the 2026/27 financial year, the ECB will focus on stabilising its funding model, launching its Data and Regulatory Analytics Management System (DREAMS) digital platform, and completing the legislative groundwork for NERA.

The second phase, spanning 2027/28 to 2028/29, will include the promulgation of the NERA Act, the establishment of gas and petroleum regulatory desks, the roll-out of new levies, and full rebranding. During the 2029/30 and 2030/31 financial years, the focus will shift to operating as a multi-energy regulator, with artificial intelligence-enabled oversight and strengthened regional market integration.

Before June this year, the ECB intends to submit a funding model reform proposal to the ministry, finalise procurement for DREAMS, conduct a public awareness campaign, and appoint a task force for transition governance.

By the 2027/28 financial year, staff numbers at the regulator are expected to increase from 55 to 57, and then to 66 from 2028/29 through to 2030/31. Most of the new positions will be in technical regulation, alongside additional economists, market regulation officers, and a small number of legal officials. Personnel costs are projected to rise from nearly N$80 million in 2027 to N$106.7 million in 2031. Upskilling staff, acquiring NERA-relevant specialists, and institutionalising succession planning will take place concurrently.

Big spend

To implement its immediate work plan, the ECB plans to spend N$5.79 million in the 2026/27 financial year. This includes strategic interventions worth N$3.1 million, such as N$1 million for a NERA blueprint and manual, N$300 000 for a perception survey, N$1.3 million for an independent transmission company framework, N$100 000 for finalising the NERA and Electricity Bills, N$100 000 for finalising the Gas Bill, N$200 000 for a gas licensing framework, and N$100 000 for an electricity industry reform framework.

Operational initiatives, costing nearly N$2.6 million, include N$96 000 for an internal audit, N$500 000 for software design, configuration, testing and deployment, and N$500 000 for a performance management system.