ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s power minister on Thursday defended recent changes to rooftop solar net-metering regulations, saying the previous system placed an unfair financial burden on millions of electricity consumers who do not use solar panels. His remarks came a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered a review of the new policy.
Under the revised rules introduced by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), solar users will continue to pay the full tariff for electricity they draw from the grid but will receive a lower, market-based rate for the surplus power they supply. Critics have described the changes as discouraging renewable energy adoption.
Power Minister Sardar Owais Ahmed Khan Leghari told the National Assembly that only about 466,000 consumers out of 35.5 million nationwide benefit from net-metering. He argued that some users were earning returns of up to 50 per cent on their investment, far higher than returns offered to independent power producers or banks.
Leghari said the revised framework would reduce returns to around 37 per cent, which he described as still attractive. He maintained the goal was to ensure fair pricing and ease the cost burden on the wider public, potentially lowering electricity rates for ordinary consumers.
