Govt Will Not Lower Solar Net Metering Rate: Minister

Energy Minister Muhammad Ali said the caretaker government will not lower solar net metering rates. In a press conference, the minister said the government does not plan on lowering net metering rates but aims to decrease electricity rates through the ongoing nationwide crackdown against power theft. Besides power theft, the federal minister opined that the rampant dollar rate in July caused electricity bills to be higher in August. The minister added the government will soon reveal a ‘special electricity tariff’ for traders before October 31, 2023. He further informed that the caretaker government was arranging gas for the industries during the winter. Pertinently, net metering units are currently not a lot, accounting for less than 1 percent of the total energy purchased by DISCOs. The economic benefits of net metering in terms of displacement of costlier electricity from distribution companies, savings of foreign exchange, and inefficiencies in the grid are significant.