Bad News for Solar Users as NEPRA Cuts Power Purchase Rates for National Grid

Islamabad:Solar consumers in Pakistan face a setback as the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has reduced the rates for selling electricity to the national grid under new regulations.

NEPRA has issued a notification for the **Net Metering Regulations 2026**. Under the new rules, existing solar users will continue to sell electricity to the national grid at the old rate of **Rs 25.32 per unit**. However, for **new solar consumers**, the purchase rate has been slashed by **Rs 17.19 per unit**.

As a result, new consumers will now receive only **Rs 8.13 per unit**, which is less than one-third of the previous rate.

NEPRA has also introduced a new **net billing system** for both new and existing consumers. Under this system, exported solar units will no longer be treated as equivalent to grid units. Electricity imported from the national grid will be charged according to **government tariffs and slab rates**.

Additionally, the **licence duration for new net-metering consumers** has been reduced from **seven years to five years**.

According to the Power Planning and Monitoring Company, Pakistan currently has **7,000 megawatts** of installed net-metering solar capacity, while an estimated **13,000 to 14,000 megawatts** of capacity is being generated through off-grid solar systems.

Experts believe that following the new regulations, the trend toward **off-grid solar installations** may increase.

The total number of solar net-metering consumers in the country stands at **466,000**. A report by the Power Division’s Power Planning and Monitoring Company shows that **82 percent** of net-metering solar users are based in major cities. Lahore accounts for **24 percent**, Multan **11 percent**, Rawalpindi **9 percent**, Karachi **7 percent**, and Faisalabad **6 percent** of solar consumers nationwide.