ISLAMABAD:
The Power Division of the Ministry of Power declared reports claiming that the federal government was forcing solar energy consumers to obtain a license from the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) as misleading.
Reports indicated that amendments related to solar systems made it mandatory for all consumers installing solar installations to obtain a license from Nepra. Reports suggested that the federal government imposed this requirement on all users opting for net metering.
On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Energy Division rejected these claims and clarified that licensing regulations related to solar net metering already exist and fall strictly under the jurisdiction of Nepra as a regulator. “The issue of licenses is linked to the regulator, and the distribution companies (DISCO) are responsible for implementing these regulations,” he stated. The spokesperson said attributing such licensing requirements to directives from the federal government was “completely incorrect.”
He noted that no official position had been sought from the Energy Division or the federal government before releasing the reports, causing confusion among people.
In February, the government abolished the swapping of electricity units in solar net metering, in a blow to consumers wanting to switch to renewable energy. It also reduced the contract period from seven to five years in an apparent attempt to now shift the burden of capacity payments from IPPs to solar consumers.
The DISCOs will charge their electricity tariff, which can be up to Rs 50 per unit, and will receive electricity from consumers during the day at a possible rate of Rs 11 per unit.
