Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed authorities to convert high-loss electricity feeders of PESCO and QESCO to solar energy.
The directive came during a high-level meeting regarding solarisation in Islamabad, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
Chairing the review meeting regarding the ongoing reforms in the electricity sector, PM Shehbaz said that the measure would reduce the losses of these feeders while providing continuous electricity in the affected areas.
The meeting was given a detailed briefing on the conversion of loss-making feeders of Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) and Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO) to solar energy.
During the meeting, it was deliberated that the conversion of such feeders to solar energy would create an eco-friendly, low-cost and sustainable micro-grid for the local population. The local population, provincial and federal governments will be partners in this project.
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The meeting was informed that this project would not only generate low-cost electricity but also significantly reduce the losses of the electricity distribution companies in future.
While giving in-principle approval to the project, the prime minister directed that work on the pilot project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan commence immediately.
Over the past few years, a large number of industrial, commercial, and residential electricity consumers have shifted to solar power systems to address frequent power outages and the rising cost of electricity.
Reports indicate that net-metering capacity currently stands at 6,000MW, while off-grid solar capacity has increased to 12,000MW in Pakistan by the end of 2025.
According to a report by the International Energy Agency, Pakistan has emerged as one of the world’s fastest-growing solar markets, importing approximately 50GW of solar panels amid falling prices and widespread adoption across sectors in the first half of the year.
This surge has made Pakistan the third-largest market for Chinese solar panels, a scale-up that has attracted global attention.
The meeting on Friday was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Minister for Power Sardar Owais Ahmed Khan Leghari, Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervez Malik, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani, Chief Secretaries of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, as well as senior government officials.
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