ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Energy Awais Leghari has reacted to the recent statement of former Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, describing his information as misunderstood. In his statement, Awais Leghari said the new energy policy does not include “gross metering,” and instead a system of “net billing” is being implemented. He explained that gross metering is a rigid system, which requires additional metering infrastructure, while net billing allows consumers to directly use the electricity they generate.
Awais Leghari further said that under net billing, consumers will benefit at Rs 42 per unit if they consume more electricity on their own during the day, while the additional exported units will be counted at Rs 10 per unit. He said that no tax has been imposed on the export of electricity, but the tax will be only on the units that the power distribution companies provide to the consumers.
He also called Miftah Ismail’s estimate wrong, saying he was calculating on the basis of old data for 2023-24, while the government was making decisions according to the latest data. Awais Leghari revealed that the net metering capacity is up to about 4 GW, which is capable of generating 6 terawatt hours of electricity per year.
