Islamabad Residents are Producing Over 100MW of Electricity Through Solar Panels

The Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) has installed 8,702 net metering connections having a total generation capacity of 106.43 megawatts (MW) in various circles of the company from January 2016 to February 2023. However, since the data is only till February 2023, it is likely that the current generation capacity is much higher than 106 MWs. IESCO’s circles are not isolated to Islamabad only but even if areas outside Islamabad are excluded, the city’s residents likely still produce over 100 MWs due to the capacity added from February 2023 onwards. Manager Public Relations Asim Nazir Raja told APP that the company had received 9,177 applications of net metering with 114.29 MW capacity during the period. The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) issued licenses to 9,122 net metering connections with an accumulative capacity of 113.68 MW so far, he added. He said that the import and export of billing units had been started from 7,781 net metering connections with a total capacity of 95.35 MW. The total exports and imports from these connections stood at 133,529,246 units and 167,307,686 units respectively, he said. Raja said that the company had paid an amount of Rs. 2,327,559 to the connections’ holders up to June 2022. He said that the company had authorized to grant licenses up to 25 kilowatts (kW) capacity while over 25 kW capacity, NENPRA issued licenses for net metering connections. It is pertinent to mention here that the net-metering project had been launched in 2016 countrywide. It allows any domestic, commercial, industrial and other consumers to have at least a three-phase meter connection. Under the arrangements, such a consumer may sell the additional energy to the respective power distribution company and make stocktaking (calculations) with it at the end of the month. Since the system allows the consumers to generate electricity from one kilowatt to one megawatt, NEPRA issues licenses to the applicant seeking generation below 25kW in the service area jurisdiction of all distribution companies.