The government has presented a plan to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation to revise electricity tariffs for net metering of solar panel owners.
Under the proposed changes, the government intends to purchase surplus electricity generated by solar panel owners at a significantly reduced rate compared to the current tariff, reported a national daily.
At present, surplus electricity is purchased at Rs. 27 per unit. However, the new proposal suggests lowering this rate to approximately Rs. 10 per unit. The IMF, while reviewing the plan, raised concerns about how the government plans to address the issue of solar panel owners who remain off the national grid.
Although the government has yet to provide a definitive response, the IMF has highlighted the rapid growth in solar installations across the country. This trend, according to the IMF, could accelerate in the coming months and years, potentially posing challenges to the efficiency and sustainability of the power sector.
The government has emphasized the importance of rationalizing electricity tariffs. Officials revealed that there are currently 104 power plants operating nationwide, including 18 government-owned facilities and 86 run by independent power producers (IPPs). As part of its efforts to improve efficiency, the government has already decommissioned five underperforming power plants and renegotiated tariffs with 14 IPPs. Additionally, tariff reductions have been secured for eight bagasse-based IPPs.
Negotiations with the remaining IPPs are ongoing, according to officials. The government is also exploring the possibility of utilizing fiscal space created by a reduced debt servicing burden, which amounts to Rs. 1.3 trillion. These measures, officials say, are expected to help lower the baseline electricity tariff.
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The only option left is to reduce the base unit cost to such low level that people stop buying solar panels. Already most of the people with high consumption moved and more rooftops are filling day by day.
Fake news
Propakistani claim the same thing over and over again.
This article says 27 rs/unit
Last article said 21 rs/unit
The article before this stated 19ts/ unit
So the power sector is inefficient due to people moving to solar ?
Who wrote this ? Imf must be laughing at pakistan for this. People are giving actual electricity while govt cannot even provide electricity to the people.
Why target net metering users who actually create electricity? Is not about efficiency but about creating additional burden which will create more tensions with the public
Netherlands ended net metering in 2021. It resulted in energy crisis and most energy bills rise faster and alot and the govt went down.
California net metering was reduced and it resulted in high energy costs and most people stopped living in California or went off grid. The Californian grid still had not recovered to this day.
Every country or state that implemented net metering phasing out or ending it has suffered.
Must not happen here.
The current rate of net metering solar power is Rs 19 and not Rs 27 as shown in your article This amounts to misinformation in support of the government’s illogical contention.
Better research would help you provide credible information, not fictitious data like here
Well IPPs are mostly owned by powerful network of people including politicians, sitting MNAs, MPAs and corporate business owners so decreasing electricity cost is next to impossible. When Pakistanis started to install solar panels from their hard earned and highly taxed income to avoid heavy bills, Govt could not tolerate it and now reversing the policy of net metering because the policy is benefitting the common people of Pakistan. Shame on the govt who negotiated high price with IPPs on the first place and now reversing the solar policies to again burden the common man
Send me solar plant