Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken immediate notice of the new solar-related regulations issued by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) and directed authorities to safeguard the interests of existing solar consumers.
A high-level meeting was held under the chairmanship of the prime minister to review the newly introduced regulations. The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Atta Tarar, Awais Leghari, Pervez Malik, Bilal Kiani, Muhammad Ali, Ahad Cheema, and other senior officials.
During the meeting, the prime minister instructed the Power Division and NEPRA to file a review appeal to ensure the protection of contracts signed with existing solar consumers. He emphasized that all possible measures must be taken to safeguard current agreements.
Shehbaz Sharif stated that the burden of approximately 466,000 solar consumers should not fall on the country’s 37.6 million national grid electricity users. He directed the Power Division to formulate a comprehensive strategy to address the matter in a balanced and sustainable way.
What Are the New Solar Regulations?
NEPRA has reduced the rates at which solar consumers can sell electricity back to the national grid.
Under the new regulations, existing solar consumers will continue to sell electricity to the national grid at the previous rate of Rs 25.32 per unit. However, for new consumers, the buyback rate has been significantly reduced by Rs 17.19 per unit.
As a result, new solar users will now receive Rs 8.13 per unit for electricity supplied to the grid — more than three times lower than the previous rate.
Additionally, a revised net billing system has been introduced for both new and existing users. Under the updated mechanism, exported units will no longer be treated as equal to imported units. Electricity drawn from the national grid will be charged according to the applicable government tariff and slab rates.
Furthermore, the license period for new net-metering consumers has been reduced from seven years to five years.
The new regulations have sparked debate, particularly among solar investors and consumers who argue that the reduced buyback rate may discourage further investment in renewable energy. The government’s response indicates concerns about maintaining fairness between solar users and the broader base of grid consumers.
