The government is considering a major revision to the solar net metering regime by reducing the buyback rate from Rs. 22 per unit to around Rs. 11.30.
It follows concerns that the current policy is pushing up electricity costs for consumers on the grid. Officials say the financial strain has grown sharply as rooftop solar installations surge across the country, reported a national daily.
In FY2024 alone, grid sales fell by 3.2 billion units, resulting in Rs. 101 billion revenue loss to power distribution companies.
This gap translated into a tariff increase of nearly Rs. 1 per unit for traditional electricity users.
Power Division projections show the impact widening rapidly over the next decade.
By FY2034, lost sales could hit 18.8 billion units, costing up to Rs. 545 billion and potentially adding Rs. 5 to Rs. 6 per unit to grid tariffs according to the official projections.
A senior official said the situation has triggered direct intervention from the prime minister, who on October 22 directed the Power Division and Nepra to re-evaluate the buyback tariff and its broader effects before announcing any reforms.
Officials argue that the system is being treated as a “free storage battery” by many households. Consumers sell excess electricity back to the grid at high rates while avoiding fixed system charges. This leaves non-solar users carrying the financial burden of network maintenance.
The government notes that new large-scale solar projects are being contracted at below Rs. 10 per unit, strengthening the case for a lower net metering rate.
Aligning rooftop tariffs with current costs, officials say, is essential to protect affordability for grid-connected consumers.
The rapid growth of net-metered capacity which is now estimated at 6,000MW, is also creating operational challenges.
In winter months, national demand drops to around 8,000 to 9,000MW, raising the risk of excess daytime generation and grid instability.
Same article as last time.
Same exact claim as last time
Every 4 months you make the exact same article and copy it .
Kindly grow up .
لعنت ھو تم پر حکمرانوں
“winter months, national demand drops to around 8,000 to 9,000MW, raising the risk of excess daytime generation and grid instability.”
Risk of more generation ? 😆 is that a joke . So the risk is that more electricity is available for usage ?
Grid is unstable bcz people have more electricity for everyone to use 😆 🤣 😂
What a joke this article is
“It follows concerns that the current policy is pushing up electricity costs for consumers on the grid. Officials say the financial strain has grown sharply as rooftop solar installations surge across the country, reported a national daily.
In FY2024 alone, grid sales fell by 3.2 billion units, resulting in Rs. 101 billion revenue loss to power distribution companies”
Pushing electricity costs by providing more electricity when grid sales fell ?
Your statement makes 0 sense. Grid sales fell by at the same time electricity costs for consumers are high ?
So grid is expensive you admit that . Lower the grid price first.
I’ve never seen such nonsense written.
So people are under strain bcz few solar users generate their own electricity
But no issue from those IPPs overcharging is with expensive grid
Ok . Start by reducing the grid charges to half. Then decrease net metering to half. Let’s not kid ourselves.
Go the whole way. Anyone saying that grid is strained by net metering is lying. Power in excess is cheaper from net metering.
Reduce the grid charges by 50% of overall that would be reduction from 46 rs/ unit to 23 rs
so paying IPPs high per unit rate in DOLLARs is OKAY even when Plants are shutdown??? but buy from solar residential people at Rs20 with no payment required is not acceptable? Government is debt because of IPPs. Take action against those who signed these agreements and buy back the IPP plants . BUT they wont because everyone is getting commission
Exactly and they failed to decrease prices of the grid electricity despite clarifying they would
Our showbaz vowed it 😆
What I suggest is that the government should remove the net-metering payback option and instead allow users to offset exported and imported units. If imported units exceed exported units, then users should pay the difference based on per-unit charges. If exported units are more than imported units, then the surplus should be allowed to carry forward for the entire year—or even lifetime.
Additionally, the government should introduce short-term licensing for solar users, allowing them to legally share excess electricity with neighbors or their street and earn income.
This is simple, practical, and reduces the burden on the government.
Good except you’re wrong on everything Mr wahab
The grid is extremely expensive. Not everyone can place solar but everyone can Benefit from it.
The bill for solar users is already net of their units consumed vs units exported.
The issue comes from grid charges to be twice as high as solar.
The authorities claim that they incur losses bcz solar users don’t use much of expensive grid. How is that shifting burden ?
If I don’t buy milk from the market but get it from my own farm , that means I am causing market losses? No.
You know who earn money from exporting electricity ? IPPs and they earn despite not providing electricity. 😤
But!… But!… Tis not the way of the elite! To suck BLOOD! And holloween was just yesterday!
~B~L~O~O~D~!~
~B~L~O~O~O~O~O~O~D~!~
🌩️🏚️⚰️🧛🏻♂️🩸🦇🌩️
@Abdul WAHAB Alam
awam sakoon main dehka government se yeh dehka nhi ja raha bus
The solar electricity is cheaper than other kind of electricity productions. The government should shutdown the IPPs project which are also being paid for nonproduction of electricity under capacity payment contracts. Replace these IPPs with solars to get rid of them.
Awam ko chain se free ki sans le le to hamre hukmaranon ke paseena chuthtay hain