Skip to main content

PM Shehbaz takes notice of new Nepra rules for solar consumers, directs Power Division to file review appeal

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday took notice of the recent changes made by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) regarding solar consumers and directed the Power Division to file a review appeal against it.

The power regulator on Monday changed the terms of contracts for all existing and future net-metered solar consumers — known as prosumers — to contain rising solar energy penetration and protect an expensive and inefficient state-owned power network. The notification effectively terminated the existing net-metering regime and replaced it with net-billing for all.

A statement from the PM Office (PMO) issued today said the premier had taken “immediate notice” of the matter.

The development follows outcry from senators across the political spectrum, including the ruling ally, the PPP, and the opposition, the PTI, in opposition to the NEPRA move.

The PMO quoted the prime minister as directing the Power Division to immediately file a review appeal before Nepra “to ensure every possible safeguard of the existing consumer contracts”.

PM Shehbaz was of the view that the “burden of 466,000 users benefitting from solar should not be put on 37.6 million domestic consumers who were getting electricity directly from the national grid”.

“Power division should chalkout a comprehensive strategy in this regard,” he added.

The prime minister issued these directives while presiding over a high-level meeting on the new Nepra regulations.

The meeting was attended by Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, Power Minister Awais Leghari, Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Cheema, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kiyani and PM’s adviser Muhammad Ali.

Speaking in the Senate on Tuesday, Leghari had defended Nepra’s move, stating that it had been made to take the burden off consumers.

“Changing regulations according to the law and the Constitution is a regulator’s job,” he said, adding that he refused to step back from this.

“This is not policy; there should be clarity on that,” he maintained.

From net-metering to net-billing

Stakeholders and policy experts had warned that the proposed Prosumer Regulations 2025 risked dismantling a decade of citizen-led energy progress.

Under the new regulations, the existing registered prosumers will be shifted immediately to net-billing instead of net-metering, and their export units will be credited for one month only instead of the current three months.

All other existing terms will remain unchanged until the expiry of their seven-year contracts.

Net-billing means electricity generated by a prosumer’s distributed facility is purchased by a Disco, and a bill is raised on consumption at Rs37-55 per unit after credit for electricity supplied by the prosumer at the National Average Energy Purchase Price (NAEPP) of around Rs10 per unit.

Under the new regulations, prosumers will not be allowed to install solar systems for net-metering beyond their original sanctioned load, effectively reducing the capacity limit by 50 per cent.

New prosumers will be granted only five-year contracts, and their export units will be accepted at Rs11 per unit compared to Rs26 under the existing contracts. Consumers’ import units from distribution companies (Discos) will now be billed separately at Rs37-55 per unit, depending on the relevant slab, excluding taxes, surcharges and duties.

Surplus generation exported to Discos will be calculated separately — at Rs26 per unit for existing and around Rs10 per unit for future prosumers. The net difference will be billed to consumers, unlike the existing system of unit-for-unit exchange in import and export.

Both the government side and the regulator have blamed prosumers with higher-than-approved solar capacity and non-metered solar homeowners for grid challenges and higher capacity charges. However, the new regulations appear silent on both counts.

Nepra stated that the new prosumer regulations provide clearer procedures, stricter technical requirements and a shift in billing methodology, aiming to better integrate small-scale generation into the national grid while safeguarding system stability.



from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/cahdSQn
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ministers rubbish notion that proposed retirement age extension to favour ‘one particular institution’

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday rubbished the notion that a proposed extension in the retirement age was to favour “one particular institution”, adding that the move would be implemented across the board if approved. The rebuttal comes in the wake of media reports claiming that the government was mulling changes to the Constitution to fix the tenure of the chief justice . Currently, judges of the Supreme Court, including the chief justice, retire after attaining the age of superannuation, i.e. 65 years, as stipulated in Article 179 of the Constitution. While giving his opinion recently on the reports of the constitutional amendment, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar had said he “will not vehemently turn down the proposals related to the tenure of the chief justice”. Addressing the issue during a press conference in Islamabad today along since Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and the law minister, Attaullah said the extension in the retirement age was “a proposal to a...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Republican primary race for president in 2024

The Republican primary race for president in 2024 is already shaping up to be a competitive one. There are a number of high-profile candidates who have already announced their intention to run, and more are expected to join the field in the coming months. The frontrunner for the nomination is former President Donald Trump. Trump has been teasing a 2024 run for months, and he has a large and loyal following among Republican voters. However, he is also a polarizing figure, and his candidacy could alienate some moderate Republicans. Another potential contender for the nomination is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. DeSantis has been praised by many conservatives for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his opposition to vaccine mandates. He is also seen as a rising star in the Republican Party. Other potential candidates include former Vice President Mike Pence, former Ambassador Nikki Haley, and Senator Tim Scott. Pence is a more traditional Republican who could appeal to moderate vote...
1 comment
Read more

In pictures: Grief in Gaza and the loss of a child

In the photo, the woman cradles a child in her arms, balanced on her knee. It is an image that resonates, as ancient as human history. But in a grim inversion of the familiar, we see that the child she holds close is a corpse, wrapped in a shroud. It is a quiet moment of intense grief. The woman wears a headscarf and her head is bowed. We cannot see who she is nor can we learn anything about the child — not even if it is a boy or girl. Palestinian woman Inas Abu Maamar, 36, embraces the body of her 5-year-old niece Saly, who was killed in an Israeli strike, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 17, 2023. The child is one of many who have lost their lives on both sides in the Israel-Hamas war. Most have names we will never know, whose deaths will spark a lifetime of grief for family members we will never meet. In the 21st century, an average of almost 20 children a day have been killed or maimed in wars around the world, according to Unicef. Reuter...
Post a Comment
Read more