The State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC)is empowered by the State Council to perform administrative and regulatory duties with regard to the national electric power sector in accordance with laws and regulations.

Major Responsibilities:

1.Be responsible for the overall regulation of the national power sector, establish a unified system for electricity regulation and exercise direct leadership over its local branches.
2.Develop laws and regulations, as well as relevant amendments, on electricity regulation, formulate regulatory rules for the sector; and establish rules for electricity market operations.
3.Be involved in the formulation of the national plan for the sector development; propose development plans for electricity markets and the designs for regional power markets. Examine and approve operational mode for electricity markets, and the set-up of electric power trading bodies.
4.Regulate the operation of electricity market, standardize market order, and ensure a level-playing field, regulate transmission, distribution and non-competitive generation businesses.
5.Participate in stipulation and enforcement of safety and technical standards, quantitative and qualitative codes for electricity industry, issue and administer power business licenses, enforce environmental laws, regulations and standards for the sector in conjunction with relevant department of environmental protection.
6.Propose tariffs and adjustments to the competent pricing department of the government, on the basis of market conditions, supervise and review relevant tariff levels, and regulate fees and charges for ancillary services.
7.Be specifically responsible for supervision and administration over the safety of electricity, make emergency plan for handling major accidents due to lack of safety in power production and set up mechanism for exigency responses to such major accidents.
8.Investigate violations of laws and regulations by market participants, and handle disputes among them.
9.Supervise the implementation of the policies of universal service for access to electricity; propose revisions to those policies, undertake the statistics and release the information of electricity markets.
10.Organize the implementation of power sector restructuring scheme under the instructions of the State Council, and make recommendations on further reform.
11.Undertake any other assignments instructed by the State Council.