Islamabad: Federal Minister for Energy Sardar Owais Ahmad Khan Leghari on Thursday revealed that Pakistan is fast emerging as one of the world’s quickest-growing solar markets, with nearly 19,000 MW of solar projects under development. Addressing a seminar organised by the Pakistan Business Council, he announced that renewable energy now constitutes 55% of the national power mix.
For the first time, the government has rolled out 28 major structural reforms with a long-term vision, the minister said, adding that tangible results will soon be visible. He acknowledged that several previous agreements with Independent Power Producers (IPPs) “were not transparent” and confirmed ongoing renegotiations to ease the circular debt burden alongside phasing out inefficient plants.
Leghari highlighted upcoming amendments to net-metering rules, performance improvement of distribution companies, DISCO privatisation, and the imminent launch of a competitive electricity market. “The government will no longer be the sole buyer; direct buyer-seller transactions will become the norm,” he stated, emphasising enhanced governance, transparency and financial stability in the sector.