Government Boosts Solar Energy Production To Ease Consumer Burden: Leghari

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Mar, 2025) Federal Minister for Energy Sardar Awais Ahmad Leghari said on Sunday that the government has made significant progress in expanding solar energy production across the country.

Talking to a private news channel, he said that over 2,000 megawatts of solar power added to the national grid in the last 18 months.

Minister highlighted that the government is committed to promoting renewable energy without imposing additional taxes on the public.

He revealed that the solar energy sector is expected to grow further, with projections of adding 1,000 megawatts annually over the next 12 years.

Proliferation of solar on the system was around 1500MW to 2000MW during the past 1.25 years, "We aim to increase solar capacity to support our energy needs and provide relief to consumers" he added.

The minister explained that under the new solar policy, households can produce electricity through solar panels and sell up to 75 percent of the excess energy to the national grid.

This initiative allows consumers to recover their investment in approximately three and a half to four years.

"Even if a household uses only 25 percent of the electricity they generate and exports the rest, they can recover their investment in a short period," he added.

He also addressed concerns about net metering, clarifying that the government has introduced net billing.

Under this system, consumers are compensated at a fixed rate of 10 rupees per unit for the energy they export while paying standard rates for the electricity they consume, he added.

Minister assured the public that the government is working to balance the interests of both solar producers and traditional grid consumers.

He acknowledged the challenge of managing capacity payments but emphasized that the long-term goal is to reduce the burden on all energy users.

"Our focus is to encourage renewable energy investments while ensuring that the financial impact on the national grid is minimized," minister stated.

The government remains committed to supporting sustainable energy solutions and providing economic relief to citizens through innovative policies, he further added.