Power Minister steps in as net metering unit credits restored after consumer complaints

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Power Division Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari has taken notice of the non-crediting of units to net metering consumers under the directives issued by PPAMC.

On the instructions of the federal minister, the directives issued by PPAMC were reviewed with immediate effect. Following the revised directives, the issue of crediting units to net metering consumers has been resolved.

According to details, some net metering consumers had installed systems with capacities exceeding the approved limits under their licences (DG capacity). Last month, several such consumers were not given any credit for the electricity they supplied to the national grid.

However, the Power Division clarified that denying credit for the entire exported electricity was not in line with policy. Under the revised directives, only the electricity units exported beyond the approved capacity will not be credited, while units exported within the approved capacity will now be credited accordingly.

In this regard, clear instructions have been issued to all distribution companies (DISCOs). For consumers whose exported units were not credited in their bills, the necessary adjustments will be made in the next billing cycle.

The federal minister reiterated the government’s commitment to safeguarding consumers’ rightful entitlements without any compromise.

Power Planning and Monitoring Company (PPMC) acts as the policy, strategic, and technical arm of the Ministry of Energy (Power Division) in Pakistan. PPMC was previously known as the Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) and was rebranded in 2021 to oversee the performance of Distribution Companies (DISCOs) and implement the National Electricity Plan. 

On Wednesday, PPMC, following directives from the Federal Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, reviewed instructions sent to DISCOs regarding net metering. The review ensured that solar consumers with systems exceeding their approved capacity would still receive credit for units supplied to the grid within their allowed limits, overturning a previous directive that had halted credits for such users.