ISLAMABAD: The Power Division has ordered electricity distribution companies to clear 1,355 pending solar net-metering connections by June 1, 2026, after the power minister took serious notice of delays that have left consumers waiting for months despite completing the required process.
According to reports based on an official order, the pending cases involve applications submitted before February 8, but still not installed or energised by the ex-Wapda distribution companies. The matter reached the ministry after the Power Information Technology Company flagged delays in processing net-metering cases, especially during the transition in prosumer rules.
The deadline is blunt: DISCOs have been told to install and energise all remaining connections by June 1. And this time, the ministry has paired the order with penalties. Officials linked to unnecessary delays in net-metering, net-billing installations and consumer complaint handling may face disciplinary action, while bonuses of officers responsible for the delays are to be withheld.
The action is expected to cover officers at different field levels, including superintending engineers, executive engineers and sub-divisional officers, particularly in the worst-performing areas. The message from the Power Division is fairly clear: slow paperwork and avoidable objections won’t be treated as routine office delays anymore.
A major technical issue behind the rejections, officials said, was faulty transformer tagging. In some cases, consumers were incorrectly linked to transformers in official records, which then showed abnormal sanctioned loads. That bad data reportedly led to the rejection of several net-metering and billing cases, even where consumers had otherwise met the basic requirements.
The backlog has grown more sensitive because Pakistan’s rooftop solar market has been expanding quickly, while the government and regulator have been revisiting the financial impact of net metering on grid consumers. In March 2025, the Economic Coordination Committee approved amendments to net-metering regulations, saying the move was aimed at reducing the financial burden on consumers who remain dependent on the grid.
That policy shift created anxiety among solar users and applicants, many of whom feared that pending applications could get stuck in limbo or fall under less favourable rules. Reports said the 1,355 pending cases were applications filed before February 8, making their clearance especially important for consumers who had already invested in rooftop solar systems.
For households and businesses, the delay isn’t just administrative. A net-metered system allows solar users to export excess electricity to the grid and receive adjustments in their bills. When the connection is not energised, the system may still produce power, but the consumer loses the expected billing benefit. In plain terms, panels sit on the roof, but the savings don’t fully arrive.
The Power Division’s order also touches consumer complaints. The ministry was informed that a high percentage of outage complaints were being resolved beyond NEPRA-prescribed timelines, adding to concerns about DISCO performance beyond solar approvals alone.
NEPRA, Pakistan’s power-sector regulator, is responsible for regulating electric power services, including licensing, tariffs, and enforcement of service and safety standards. The latest directive puts the immediate burden on DISCOs, but it also signals wider pressure on the distribution network to clean up data, speed up approvals and respond faster to consumers.
For now, June 1 is the date to watch. If the Power Division follows through on penalties, the order could bring relief to hundreds of solar applicants who have been waiting for months. If not, it may become another missed deadline in Pakistan’s already strained power sector — and consumers, frankly, have heard enough promises.
