Thursday, 5 November 2026

Georgia voters handed Democrats control of the state's Public Service Commission (PSC) for the first time in 30 years, ending a long Republican hold on the energy regulator, according to Inside Climate News.

Democrat Peter Hubbard was reelected after winning a seat in a special election last year, while Sheila Edwards, a community activist and business owner, won a new seat on the commission, Inside Climate News reported.

The PSC regulates public utilities in the state, including Georgia Power, its largest energy utility.

Corpus Christi voters approved a charter amendment imposing tiered water charges on industrial users by a two-to-one margin, according to Inside Climate News.

The measure introduces escalating price increases tied to reservoir levels: USD 3 when reservoirs fall below 30% full, USD 6 below 20%, and USD 12 during a declared water emergency.

The amendment includes a five-year grace period before taking effect, during which Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni expects legal challenges from industry groups, according to Inside Climate News. Industry groups had spent heavily to oppose the ballot measure.

The 16th National Assembly discussed proposed amendments to the Electricity Law at a plenary sitting on November 3, Nhan Dan reported.

The draft changes target bottlenecks in power planning, investment, investor selection, electricity pricing and the power market, according to Nhan Dan. They also write new Party and State energy-security policies into the legal framework.

Nhan Dan reported the revisions aim to remove institutional barriers to building power generation and transmission infrastructure, while supporting secure electricity supplies and reasonable, transparent power prices.

The bill would also decentralise management, simplify administrative procedures and align the Electricity Law with the broader legal system.

Energy and climate non-profit 350 Africa has launched an Electricity for All campaign ahead of municipal elections, calling for qualifying households to receive 350 kWh of free basic electricity, according to GroundUp.

Research cited by the Presidential Climate Commission, conducted by PARI, describes 350 kWh per month as a "developmental level of electricity" for a household, sufficient for daily cooking, heating water, and possibly some small-scale home-based economic activity.

Uptake of Free Basic Electricity (FBE) remains low. Only about two million of the ten million households who qualify actually receive it, GroundUp reported.