LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has sought a formal reply from the federal government, NEPRA, and LESCO regarding the implementation of the new solar net metering policy.
The court issued a two-page interim written decision on Monday in response to a petition challenging the government and NEPRA’s policy. Justice Abid Hussain Chatha noted that the issues raised in the petition are “very important” and said the matter would be reviewed in depth. The Attorney General has been directed to appear to assist the court.
The petitioners, represented by Noman Qaisar, argued that replacing net metering with net billing violates citizens’ rights and amounts to “robbery” of their investments in solar energy systems. They claimed the new regulations breach Articles 23 and 24 of the Constitution and contradict the government’s earlier promise of “unit-for-unit” exchange.
The petition requested that the LHC maintain the previous net metering policy and halt the implementation of the new regulations until the matter is resolved.
The court has yet to announce a detailed hearing schedule, but the interim order marks the first step in reviewing the legality of the new solar energy rules affecting thousands of consumers nationwide.
