Industries across the country are increasingly turning to solar power to cope with rising electricity costs and frequent outages. These include the textile, cement, pharmaceutical, rice milling and agricultural sectors, while households are also shifting to solar due to the escalating cost of electricity. Earlier this year, the country reached a historic milestone in solar energy usage as solar power output surpassed supply from the national grid.
To encourage consumers to shift back to grid electricity and to bolster activity in the industrial sector, Nepra has endorsed discounted rates for additional usage. The federal government has received the regulator’s decision, under which industries will be charged Rs22.98 per unit for consumption above their previous levels.
Read: IMF approves $1.3 billion loan
The Power Division has welcomed the decision and initiated procedures to issue the related notification. According to the government, the industrial package will not affect domestic or commercial consumers.
Energy Minister Awais Leghari said the package would help boost industrial and agricultural activities in the country. He added that it would promote production and create additional employment opportunities.
Leghari stated that the three-year package would enable the industrial sector to plan more effectively for the future. Greenfield industries, including data centres and crypto-mining operations, will also benefit from the initiative.
He noted that industry and agriculture form the backbone of the economy. The government has reduced the cost of additional electricity units for the industrial sector—previously Rs34 per unit—and for the agriculture sector—previously Rs38 per unit.
The minister explained that tariffs for additional units for agriculture have been cut from Rs38 to Rs22.98 per unit, while the industrial tariff has been reduced from Rs34 to Rs22.98 per unit. This, he said, would lower the average cost of electricity for consumers.
Also Read: IHC issues stay order against CDA’s operations in Muslim colony
He further stated that if an agricultural consumer previously used 100 units, the cost of an additional 100 units would now fall by Rs7 per unit on average. For industries using 1,000 units, the average cost of an additional 1,000 units would decline by about Rs5 per unit.
Leghari said that prices for the industrial sector had already been reduced earlier, and the latest cut would further support industrial growth. He added that the government was fulfilling its promises and expressed hope that the initiative would help improve the economy.
The industrial package will take effect after the Power Division issues the official notification. The package applies specifically to consumption exceeding last year’s usage.