The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has decided to remove the requirement of a license and application fee for solar metering below 25 kilowatts (kW).
The Power Division released a notification saying that there will be no licensing requirement or application fee necessary for consumers with solar consumption of 25kW or below.
“This notification shall be applicable and deemed to be effective from February 9, 2026,” the order said.
The notification further said that consumers with higher capacity (above 25kW) will have to pay a one-time fee of Rs1000 to NEPRA.
Solar users with power energy of 25kW and below can now use their solar energy free from the expenses of licensing fee.
Solar system NEPRA license
The Power Division revised its decision on April 28, after facing criticism by the public for their previous announcement of ‘taxing sunlight’.
The department has asked NEPRA not to charge a license fee for a solar system of 25kW or below.
Previously, on April 26, the Power Division said that the Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) had decided to regulate the solar shifts in the country, and that they had urged NEPRA not to change the previous solar metering policies for the systems of 25kW or below.
In public hearings, the Pakistan Solar Association, Primage (Pvt) Ltd, the Pakistan Alternative Energy Association, and Siddiq Renewable Energy (Pvt) Ltd requested the court to remove the approval authority from Discos, as it would cause bureaucratic chaos, and they objected to the changes to the policies.
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The Power Division also warned NEPRA that the new energy drive is not succeeding very much.
While talking about the relief of the public in this regard, Minister of Power, Awais Leghari, said in his tweet on X, “Our government is pro-solar, pro-consumer, and committed to clean energy. We want to remove unnecessary barriers, reduce costs, and provide as much relief as possible to the people of Pakistan.”
The Power Division asked NEPRA multiple times to declare the requirements of the license and the application fee null and void, and warned the department about the negative impact after the enforcement of the license and its fee.
After two days, finally, both departments came to an agreement to abolish the license requirement and application fee for consumers of 25kW or below.
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