The Rural Electrification Authority was created by Act No. 20 of 2003 which has since been repealed and replaced by Act No. 5 of 2023 as a special purpose vehicle to increase access to electricity in rural areas. In order to reach the target beneficiaries, the Authority uses five options Grid Extension, Biomass, Wind, Solar Energy and Mini-Hydro.

As at December 2020, the Authority had completed 188 grid extension projects benefiting 67,710 households, 376,260 Direct beneficiaries and about 1, 009,256 indirect beneficiaries. Through solar technology, 429 Solar home systems have been installed benefiting 118,311 direct beneficiaries. On the Mini Hydro technology front, the Authority had completed the construction of Kasanjiku Mini hydro power station in Mwinilunga district targeting 12,000 beneficiaries.

The Authority had also completed a wind resource assessment study in Lunga district where the Authority plans to use a hybrid of wind and solar energy to provide electricity to the people of Lunga district. The Authority plans to increase access rate in rural areas to at least 51% by the year 2030