The Power Division on Sunday formally asked Nepra to review its regulations, seeking the removal of fees and a licensing exemption for solar consumers with systems under 25 kilowatts (kW), following a directive from Energy Minister Awais Leghari.
The Power Division said in a statement that it had earlier informed Nepra about the adverse impact of the decision and had requested a return to the previous regulatory framework.
Under the 2015 regulations, systems with a capacity of 25kW or less did not require a Nepra licence. Applications in this category were processed directly by distribution companies without any fee, providing a significant financial incentive for domestic consumers. However, the new “prosumer regulations” have centralised approval authority with Nepra, even for small-scale plants and introduced application fees. The Power Division noted that the Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) had also expressed concerns over the change and urged Nepra to retain the earlier approval mechanism for systems up to 25kW.