LAHORE – Federal Minister for Energy Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari stated on Sunday that the government has no intentions of ending the solar net-metering policy.
The minister’s comments followed media reports suggesting the government planned to scrap the policy and introduce a gross-metering system instead.
Net metering allows consumers to sell surplus electricity generated by their solar systems to their power distribution company, leading to significant savings on their electricity bills.
However, under the gross metering mechanism, electricity generated by consumers’ rooftop solar systems is fed into the national grid, which they then buy back from the distribution company, potentially reducing the financial benefits.
Speaking at a press conference at the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) headquarters, the minister dismissed the media reports, affirming the government’s support for solar power. He highlighted that the policy was introduced by PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif during his last tenure as prime minister.
“[PML-N] introduced this scheme [solar net-metering] in 2017. And we will continue encouraging net metering since it is a scheme close to the heart of PM Shahbaz Sharif,” the minister said.
He added that the party was “proud” of the scheme, noting that “a large number of people benefitted from it.”
Mr. Leghari assured that consumers who already have solar power and net-metering contracts with their distribution companies “would not be affected at all.”
The government will continue to promote net metering, and any policy changes will be made after consulting all stakeholders, he added.
He noted that when the policy was launched in 2017, few people applied for net-metering licenses due to high solar panel prices.
Over time, the number of consumers applying for net metering has increased, and in 2023-24, the number rose by 125%, he maintained.
He claimed that 0.3% of the total electricity consumers have rooftop solar net-metering connections. “The number of total net metering connections has reached 113,000.”
Addressing other issues in the power sector, he said the overall demand for electricity has decreased by 8% due to a decline in industrial growth.
In response to a question, he mentioned that the Lesco CEO has been directed to address system constraints to prevent overloading during hot weather.
Without naming the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, the minister expressed displeasure, stating that “one province has politicized the issue of power theft.”
He also expressed hope that the KP Chief Minister would present “a viable plan” within the next 15 days for controlling power theft.
