ISLAMABAD:
The Power Ministry Division has declared as misleading reports claiming that the federal government made it mandatory for solar consumers to obtain a license from the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra).
Reports indicated that the amendments related to solar systems made it mandatory for all consumers installing solar installations to obtain a license from Nepra. Reports suggest that the federal government has imposed this requirement on all users opting for net metering.
On Wednesday, an Energy Division spokesperson rejected these claims and clarified that regulations for obtaining licenses related to solar net metering already exist and fall strictly within Nepra’s purview as regulator. “The licensing issue is related to the regulator, and the distribution companies (DISCO) are responsible for implementing these regulations,” he said. The spokesperson said it was “completely incorrect” to attribute these licensing requirements to federal government guidelines.
He noted that no official position was sought from the Division of Energy or the federal government before the reports were released, leading to confusion among the public.
In February, the government abolished the exchange of electricity units in solar net metering, a blow to consumers keen to switch to renewable energy. It also reduced the contract term from seven to five years in an apparent bid to shift the burden of capacity payments from IPPs onto solar consumers now.
DISCOs will charge their rate for electricity, which can be up to Rs 50 per unit, and will receive electricity from consumers every day at a possible rate of Rs 11 per unit.
