LAHORE, Feb 24 (APP): The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday disposed of a petition challenging the new solar net metering policy introduced by the federal government and the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), after considering the replies submitted by the concerned authorities.
Justice Abid Hussain Chattha heard the petition filed by citizen Syed Azhar Hussain Shah and others, in which the federal government, NEPRA, Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO), and other relevant bodies were named as respondents.
During the hearing, counsel for the federal government informed the court that the petitioner has been a net metering consumer of LESCO since 2022 and that the newly introduced net metering regulations do not apply to existing consumers. The court was told that the new policy would only be applicable to future applicants.
The counsel representing NEPRA stated that several recommendations regarding solar net metering have been forwarded to the federal government and that different aspects of the policy are currently under review.
After hearing arguments from all sides and in view of the responses submitted by the federal government and NEPRA, the court disposed of the petition
The petitioners’ had argued that the government had reneged on its commitment to provide unit-for-unit compensation, placing the future of citizens who invested heavily in solar energy systems at risk.
The petitioners had sought directions from the court to maintain the previous net metering policy and to immediately suspend the implementation of the new regulations.