08 Jun 2026
ERI Article: EAPP members address Regulatory Convergence
- The Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) is preparing the rules which will govern its emerging regional market.
- It is working on harmonized tariffs and grid codes to address emerging gaps in this market. It would also benefit from a supranational regulatory body to supervise market operations and resolve disputes.
- The most important hurdles are the ongoing deficit in transmission infrastructure and the difficulty of financing cross-border interconnectors. At the regulatory level there is still a degree of fragmentation with different investment policies, subsidies and regulatory frameworks in member countries.
- In 2024, the IRB Secretariat identified as critical the need to develop uniform grid codes for voltage levels, frequency control, and interconnection rules.
- Official documents cite unified licensing and permit systems as an opportunity for cross border regulation.
- There is also an opportunity for real time balancing mechanisms, while also implementing wheeling charges and transmission loss frameworks.
- The EAPP regulators envisage the creation of a joint regulatory body and dispute resolution framework