Pakistan Solar association demands regularity support from Government to thrive the Industry

Pakistan Solar association (PSA) convened meeting with Solar companies’ owner to listen to their issue and present viable solutions to their contemporary problems. The meeting was held in FPCCI in Karachi. The meeting was chaired by PSA Chairman Mr. Muhammad Farhan with Solar companies’ members to highlight industry related issue and brought Government Attention on regulation processes hampering the Solar company’s growth domestically. A delegate from Lahore invited Sindh Solar companies’ owners to present their concern regarding their ease of doing business in Pakistan.

The meeting has covered wide array of agenda directly and indirectly affecting the solar business and created difficulties for local business community. The meeting agenda has covered following key issue requires immediate rectification from Regularity authority. The most common complain of all member was NEPRA charging 10 times extra license Fee from Solar companies whereas they have advertisement lesser License fee in newspaper. Similarly, AEDB takes 3-to-4-month process in renewal of License and asked companies to resubmit all documents again which Solar company has already provided to NEPRA and Discos upon their verification before securinglicense. So renewal process needs to be simple and less cumbersome. The implementation of SRO 604 last year has been objected by the PSA and the industry as valuable foreign exchange will be flown out of the country to International producer with no meaningful impact for local industry. Instead of this, PSA recommended to develop local labs to ensure quality standards rather paying off $1300 per shipment to international companies. Government must revise SRO 604 by abolishing PSI and COC condition from it.

PSA has been long working with Government to elevate this Industry as indigenous sector with less reliance on Foreign firms. Government must extend its support by introducing business friendly policies to boost this sector and decrease dependency on foreign masters. Renewable energy is playing key role in Economic Growth of the country. Pakistan must involve local Players and experts to achieve self-reliance in this sector to meet its growing energy demands.