The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has raised concerns about the net metering policy, which continues to apply exclusively to existing solar consumers under current regulations.
The IMF stated that net billing, now applied to new solar consumers, aligns with international standards, unlike the retained net metering system for existing users.
The solar policy in Pakistan now creates two separate categories: existing solar consumers remain on net metering, while all new solar consumers are moved to net billing.
According to the IMF, retaining net metering for existing users means cross-subsidisation from the electricity grid to solar users will continue under the current policy framework.
The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) issued a notification last month, formally amending the solar policy and establishing distinct rules for the two consumer categories.
Under the NEPRA amendment, no changes were made to existing agreements held by net metering consumers, preserving all terms that were in place before the policy revision.
Licences held by existing solar net metering consumers will remain fully valid until the conclusion of each consumer’s current licence term, as stated in the NEPRA notification.
