Recruitment launched for
electricity regulatory body

Board hiring precondition

for World Bank financing

The Ministry of Energy and Water (MoEW) has called for the submission of applications for membership in the board of the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA).

The recruitment process will be completed at the end of the current month, MoEW said in a statement.

Hiring the six ERA board members is the only remaining condition of the World Bank and the international community to finance projects to import natural gas from Egypt and electricity from Jordan. The gas and electricity, which will be supplied via Syria, will generate 700 megawatts.

Launching the ERA operations will allow for the separation of the roles of MoEW and ERA which will be assigned the task of regulating the electricity sector by engaging in such activities as issuing licenses and setting up tariffs. MoEW will remain in charge of policymaking in the electricity sector. It will also be responsible for defining the framework for the participation of the private sector in electricity projects including concluding the related contracts.

MoEW has set many requirements that qualify a candidate for ERA board membership. These include having at least 15 years of professional experience in energy-related fields. Candidates should also have a Master’s degree in engineering, law, environmental science, economics and finance, or business administration.

Appointing ERA board members has been part of several decisions of the Council of Ministers since 2010 and until the approval in March this year of the national plan for setting the electricity sector on a sustainable growth.

The ministry said it has set up ERA’s organization chart after several studies and workshops carried out in cooperation with the World Bank and the Association of Mediterranean Energy Regulators (MEDREG).