KARACHI: The National Assem­bly’s Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat has termed proposed amendments to Net Metering Rules against the public interest and directed the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) not to proceed with the amendments till the issue was under consideration of the committee.

Net metering is a billing mechanism that credits solar energy system proprietors for the power they add to the grid.

Sources said the committee members appeared quite sceptical about the role of Nepra in initiating such amendments and said that the proposed amendments would not only discourage people to convert to renewable energy but also increase the burden on the government.

They said the committee asked Nepra to protect interests of consumers besides encouraging the people to shift to renewable energy.

The committee, which met in Parliament House, with Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s MNA Kishwer Zahra in the chair, expressed its annoyance at the absence of cabinet and establishment secretaries and Nepra chairman in the meeting.

The committee directed them to make themselves available in the next meeting.

The committee was informed that Nepra had initiated public consultation in respect of those rules and in view of the feedback, the final draft would be shared with the committee.

The Nepra representative infor­med the committee that by virtue of the proposed amendment, each surplus unit supplied by the solar producer would be adjusted against 3.7 off peak units supplied against one peak unit consumed as per prevailing tariffs.

He said that previously two off-peak units supplied were adjusted against one peak unit consumed.

The committee also expressed its displeasure over reluctance of different quarters to accept the responsibility of hanging of live wires on electric poles in Karachi causing incidents of electrocution.

The committee decided to call CEO of K-Electric, chairmen of Pemra and PTA, Karachi Commis­sioner and representatives of cable operators and internet service providers at its next meeting.

The committee was informed that cable operators and internet service providers were using K-Electric poles for their cables, causing incidents of electrocution and disruption to KE services.

The committee, while discussing the closure of the Abandoned Properties Organisation, directed the federal law and justice ministry to immediately convene a meeting of the committee constituted by the prime minister to discuss the issue.

The meeting was attended by MNAs Rana Iradat Sharif Khan, Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur, Musarat Rafiq Mehasar, Seema Mohiuddin Jameeli, Muhammad Sajjad, Shahnaz Saleem Malik, Muhammad Abu Bakr and Syed Mehmood

Shah, additional secretaries of establishment and cabinet divisions and senior officers of the departments concerned.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2022