• By Best Solar Company PK
  • 30 Jul, 2026
  • Solar Policy
  • 7 min read

Pakistan's power sector is about to get more flexible. The **solar energy wheeling policy** now under discussion would let you generate electricity at one location — say, family land in Punjab — and use those units to offset your bill at another site, like your apartment in Karachi or your factory in Faisalabad. For millions of Pakistanis squeezed by high tariffs and the shift to net billing, this could be the most consumer-friendly reform in years.

The idea is simple but powerful: solar power made in one place, credited somewhere else through the national grid. Here's what the proposed policy means for homeowners and multi-site businesses in 2026, and how it fits alongside NEPRA's new net-billing rules.

What Is Pakistan's Solar Energy Wheeling Policy?

"Wheeling" means transporting electricity over the grid from a generator to a consumer sitting somewhere else on the network. The generator pays a fee — a wheeling charge — to the distribution company (DISCO) for using its wires.

Pakistan already uses wheeling for big industry. Under the Competitive Trading Bilateral Contract Market (CTBCM), run by the Independent System and Market Operator (ISMO), the government has moved to auction roughly 800 MW of wheeling rights, letting Bulk Power Consumers with demand of 1 MW or more buy power directly from private generators.

The new proposal — reportedly in its final stages after consultations involving Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif — extends that logic to ordinary solar owners. According to stakeholders, it would let a prosumer generate solar at one site and apply the credits against consumption at a different address.

How Wheeling Works Under Net Billing

To understand why wheeling matters now, you have to understand what changed. On 9 February 2026, Pakistan replaced one-for-one net metering with **net billing** under NEPRA's Prosumer Regulations. The difference is stark:

  • Your exported surplus is now bought at a fixed rate of about **Rs 11 per unit** — the National Average Power Purchase Price — down from the roughly **Rs 26–27 per unit** many earlier adopters enjoyed.
  • The electricity you import is still billed at your full consumer tariff, which for peak and higher slabs can run **Rs 50–65+ per unit**.

Under net billing, every unit you consume yourself is worth far more than a unit you export. Wheeling lets you "self-consume" at a second property — turning a cheap export into an expensive offset.

That gap is exactly the problem wheeling solves. Instead of dumping surplus onto the grid for Rs 11, you route it to your own second meter and avoid paying Rs 50+ there. (Existing net-metering users were grandfathered — the government blocked a retroactive cut after public backlash.)

What the Wheeling Policy Means for Homeowners

The biggest winners are people with no roof to work with.

  • **Apartment and flat owners** in Lahore, Karachi or Islamabad who cannot install panels can build a system on family-owned rural land and offset their city bill.
  • **Landlords and joint families** can size one large array and spread the credits across several connections.
  • **Overseas Pakistanis** with a village plot could power a relative's city home from a single investment.

Officials have suggested a well-placed system could, in theory, bring a household bill close to zero. That is optimistic — wheeling charges and net-billing spreads will eat into savings — but the direction of travel clearly favours self-consumption.

If you're weighing a system today, our guide to net metering vs net billing in Pakistan explains how the export math has shifted.

What Multi-Site Businesses Stand to Gain

For companies, wheeling is potentially transformational.

  • A retail chain, bank or franchise with dozens of branches can build one solar farm on cheap land and wheel the output to many outlets.
  • A manufacturer can host generation at a low-cost site and feed a high-tariff facility elsewhere in the same DISCO region.
  • Firms already eligible as Bulk Power Consumers (1 MW+) can combine wheeling with CTBCM bilateral contracts to lock in cheaper power.

The catch is scale and paperwork: metering at both ends, wheeling agreements, and charges NEPRA is still finalising. See our commercial solar in Pakistan overview for sizing considerations.

Net Metering vs Net Billing vs Wheeling: A Quick Comparison

| Feature | Old Net Metering | Net Billing (2026) | Proposed Solar Wheeling | |---|---|---|---| | Export value | ~Rs 26–27/unit, 1:1 | ~Rs 11/unit | Offsets bill at 2nd site | | Generation site | Same premises | Same premises | Different premises allowed | | Best for | Single home/business | Single home/business | Apartments, multi-site owners | | Key cost | None extra | Import at full tariff | Wheeling / Use-of-System Charges | | Status | Closed to new users | In force since Feb 2026 | Proposed, being finalised |

The Costs You Should Still Watch

Wheeling is not free grid access. Expect to pay:

  • **Use of System Charges (UoSC)** for the DISCO wires that carry your power.
  • **Line losses**, cross-subsidy and applicable surcharges layered on top.
  • NEPRA has been working to set **uniform wheeling charges** across DISCOs and K-Electric — a figure the regulator aimed to finalise around January 2026.

Until those numbers are notified, treat any "zero bill" claim with caution. The economics will still favour solar — Pakistan's grid tariffs remain among the region's highest — but run the arithmetic on your specific tariff slab first. Our solar panel price in Pakistan 2026 breakdown can help you estimate payback.

Frequently Asked Questions

**What is the solar energy wheeling policy in Pakistan?** It is a proposed framework that would let you generate solar power at one location and use grid credits to offset your electricity bill at a different location. It builds on Pakistan's existing CTBCM wheeling regime for large consumers and is aimed at homeowners and multi-site businesses.

**Is solar wheeling allowed in Pakistan right now?** For large Bulk Power Consumers (1 MW and above), wheeling under CTBCM is already being rolled out, including an 800 MW wheeling-rights auction. The consumer-facing version for ordinary solar owners is still a proposal being finalised in 2026, so check NEPRA notifications before committing.

**How is wheeling different from net billing?** Net billing pays you about Rs 11 per exported unit while charging full tariff for what you import. Wheeling instead moves your generation to a second site you own, so you self-consume high-value units rather than exporting cheap ones.

**Will wheeling make my electricity bill zero?** Possibly close to zero for a well-sized system, but wheeling charges, line losses and surcharges will reduce the benefit. Wait for NEPRA's uniform wheeling charge before assuming a zero bill.

The Bottom Line

Pakistan's **solar energy wheeling policy** could reshape how homes and businesses use solar — decoupling where you generate from where you consume, and softening the blow of the move to net billing. If you own more than one property, or a rooftop-less flat plus some family land, it is a reform worth planning for now.

Want a system that's wheeling-ready? Talk to Best Solar Company PK for a free assessment and a design sized to your tariff.

Best Solar Company PK designs and installs reliable solar systems in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore, Multan, Taunsa Sharif and Karachi. Contact us for a free survey and the best advice for your home or business.