ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has once again stopped an official move to revise Pakistan’s solar net-metering policy, blocking the proposal even before it reached the federal cabinet.
A senior Power Division official told Dawn that the ministry, in coordination with the Ministry of Information, was preparing a media campaign to justify lowering the buyback rates. However, the Prime Minister’s Office directed them to halt the process.
“This is the third time we’ve been told to stand down,” the official said.
Earlier, a similar proposal approved by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) was rejected by the cabinet after strong public backlash.
Power Minister Awais Leghari had planned to present a new draft that would extend the solar investment recovery period from 1.5 years to 2–3 years and slash the buyback rate for solar-generated electricity from Rs. 27 per unit to Rs. 11.33 per unit — nearly 60% lower.
For now, net-metering users can continue selling excess electricity to the grid at the existing rates.
