The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) has decided to reduce the purchasing rate of additional electricity under net metering by Rs10 per unit, bringing it down from Rs27 to Rs10 per unit.

The committee also approved the export of potassium sulphate fertilizer from Gwadar port and allocated funds for various ministries.

The meeting, chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, aimed to ease the financial burden on grid consumers, as the number of people supplying electricity through solar systems continues to rise across the country.

Impact of net metering on consumers

According to the Finance Ministry, the change in net metering rates was necessary due to the increasing adoption of solar energy. A briefing from the Power Division revealed that net metering had already imposed an additional burden of Rs169 billion on grid consumers by December 2024, and if not addressed, this figure could rise to Rs4,240 billion by 2034.

Officials warned that delaying reforms would further increase financial pressure on electricity consumers.

The ECC also revised the settlement mechanism, ensuring that imported and exported electricity units will now be billed separately rather than being netted off.

Inflation trends

During the meeting, the ECC was briefed on inflation trends, with officials stating that food prices have decreased in recent months. This decline has been attributed to fiscal discipline, improved supply chains, and subsidy measures. However, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb directed authorities to continuously monitor the situation to maintain price stability.

Approval of funds for ministries

The ECC also approved funds for various government ministries, including:

Rs25 million for the Federal Ministry of Education
Rs22 million for the Ministry of Industries and Production
Rs36 million for the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control

Additionally, funds were allocated for the repair of helicopters used by Sindh Rangers and FC Balochistan.