The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA)

About NERSA

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa, known as NERSA, is the country's energy regulator. It was set up as a juristic person under the National Energy Regulator Act of 2004. Its offices are at Kulawula House on Madiba Street in Arcadia, Pretoria.

NERSA regulates three industries. These are electricity, piped gas and petroleum pipelines. Each industry falls under its own law, passed between 2001 and 2006. In practice, the regulator sets and approves tariffs and grants licences, and it keeps an eye on how these markets work. A board of nine members leads the organisation. Four serve full time, including the Chief Executive Officer, and five serve part time.

How NERSA supports students

NERSA needs skilled people to regulate a complex energy sector. Therefore, it funds an external bursary programme. Recent adverts focus on postgraduate study. In other words, the bursary is for Master's and PhD students rather than first-year undergraduates. The research or study must link to the regulator's mandate, meaning the electricity, piped-gas or petroleum pipelines industries.

Topics can be wide. They may include energy economics and tariffs, regulation and policy, energy governance and infrastructure planning. Engineering research on energy transmission or distribution can also fit. Because the list changes by intake, read the current advert for the exact fields.

The bursary covers registration fees, tuition fees, accommodation and prescribed books or a laptop. The total value depends on each student's financial assessment, so awards may differ from person to person.

What to know before applying

Applicants must be South African citizens. They need an admission letter from a South African university or university of technology for a Master's or PhD. NERSA also looks for a strong academic record and proven financial need. Candidates should come from a previously disadvantaged background and must not hold another bursary. A genuine interest in an energy-sector career helps too.

The latest advert did not use a formal application form. Instead, students sent a package by email, by post or by hand to the Arcadia offices. The package included a certified ID copy, certified academic transcripts, the university acceptance letter and the dissertation topic with an abstract. It also asked for a motivational letter of about 500 words, certified copies of the parents' or guardians' IDs and proof of household income. The closing date was 12 February 2026. Incomplete packages risk rejection, so check every item.

Learning from a regulator differs from working in a utility. Graduates study how tariffs are decided, how licences are granted and how the public interest is balanced against the needs of investors. Therefore, research done under this bursary can feed into the debates that shape South Africa's electricity supply and gas market.

Work-back or placement terms are not clearly published. Ask NERSA directly about them before you accept an award.