U.S., South Asian Nations Discuss Energy Regulatory Issues

August 27, 2003

NEW DELHI -- A three-day meeting on regulatory reform in South Asia's energy sector, sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), concluded in Hyderabad today.

Over 15 South Asian participants and visiting U.S. officials discussed a wide range of issues pertaining to energy regulation reforms in Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka and their economic impact.

The inaugural session was addressed by Commissioner William Massey of the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Commissioner Judy Jones of the Ohio state Public Utilities Commission, G.P.Rao, Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) and T.L Shankar, advisor with the Administrative Staff College of India, among others.

In his address, Commissioner Massey said: "We have just as much to learn from the commissions in South Asia as we have to teach. Regulation is an ever changing field and we must constantly grow and learn from each other." The meeting also focused on the key programs at APERC, such as tariff setting mechanisms, customer service standards, and distribution loss reduction, billing systems, consumer complaints and maintenance practices and programs.

The August 25-27 meeting was a part of the South Asia Regional Initiative for Energy (SARI/Energy) Partnership program, an effort funded by USAID and organized by the USEA. SARI/Energy Regional Regulation Partnership aims to establish a long-term cooperative relationship among energy utilities in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, and to discuss, establish and strengthen energy regulatory organizations, share approaches, best practices, policies and procedures for effective regulation.