KARACHI: The Chairman of National Business Group Pakistan, President of the Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum, President of All Karachi Industrial Alliance, Chairman of the FPCCI Advisory Board, Mian Zahid Hussain, said that power generation from oil, gas, and coal is being discouraged worldwide, while green energy is being encouraged.
However, the urgency of the situation in Pakistan cannot be overstated as green energy, a global trend, is being discouraged in our country, and the progress made in this sector is being reversed, which is alarming.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that the masses are made to pay for the wrong policy of Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and other power sector failures.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that the government is discouraging power generation from solar energy instead of promoting it, which is why billions of rupees invested in this sector are wasted.
He said that abrupt and fundamental changes in solar power policy, such as reducing the price of electricity purchased from solar consumers, send investors a negative message.
The business leader said that sudden changes in essential policies, such as the reduction in the price of electricity purchased from solar consumers, affect the investment climate, which is why nobody wants to invest in Pakistan.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that the government should do something about the failed policy of IPPs, consider tackling inefficiency and corruption in the power sector, and stop harassing solar consumers.
He noted that provincial governments are busy attracting the public to use solar energy, while the central government opposes it.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that people worried about the sharp increase in electricity prices, installed solar systems. Seeing the benefits, industrialists also started relying on solar energy to reduce their business costs.
He observed that this indicates solar energy’s potential to transform our energy landscape, which is unacceptable to the power bureaucracy.
Due to this increase in the trend in Pakistan, the production of electricity from solar power increased to four thousand megawatts; however, the power bureaucracy did not like this situation, and they started conspiring against it.
He said that the excuse of shifting the financial burden of Rs 159 billion from solar consumers to grid consumers was made, due to which the Economic Coordination Committee of the Federal Cabinet reduced the price of electricity purchased from solar consumers under net metering.
According to government officials, electricity will now be purchased from solar consumers at Rs 10 per unit instead of Rs 27 to provide relief to grid consumers. However, this decision will only apply to those who install new solar panels, and existing consumers will not be affected.
He regretted that decisions regarding net metering, the import and export of electricity, and other matters have been made that violate the interests of the public and the business community.
Mian Zahid Hussain expressed his disappointment in the government’s approach. The increase in solar energy use led to increased grid electricity prices, which the government wanted to control.
However, the method used was harmful and will discourage those who produce cheap electricity. This is a clear sign that our current policies need to change.
He further said that China generates 710 gigawatts of electricity through solar energy, America generates 200 gigawatts, India generates 90 gigawatts, Japan generates 89 gigawatts, and Germany generates 81 gigawatts.
At the same time, policymakers in Pakistan were not ready to allow the generation of even a few thousand megawatts of electricity through solar energy, which is regrettable.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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