The Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) is a U.S. non-profit, non-governmental organization formed in 1992 by experienced former utility regulators who provide research, analysis, and educational assistance to public officials on electric utility regulation.  RAP’s work in China began in 1999.  RAP now has a nearly full-time presence in China, working out of the CSEP Beijing office and working closely with all ministries and agencies at the central, provincial, and local levels engaged in power sector reforms, establishment of the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC), regional, and provincial electricity regulatory agencies, electricity pricing, demand-side management (DSM) - including the design of innovative 'Energy Efficiency Power Plants' - and the establishment of a generation performance standard (GPS)-based emissions allocation and trading mechanism.  After nearly five years of testing, the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) has adopted the GPS approach to control the total emissions of thermal power plants and the allocation of emission credits to provinces and large generation companies. 

Beyond China, RAP provides technical assistance, training, and policy research and development for public utility regulators and energy officials in 45 states of the U.S., Brazil, India, Namibia, Egypt, and a number of other countries. 

For more information about RAP and a host of papers about energy in China, please visit http://www.raponline.org.