Federal Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari on Saturday said the notion that Government is against solarization is completely false and it fully supports solarization but in a manner that is JUST to all consumers and doesn’t unfairly burden non solar consumers.
In a statement issued here, he said though, solar power makes up for fossil fuel generated power, however, that is only during solar hours of the day.
During the night time, stable/dispatchable sources of power generation are mandatory for the power grid to remain stable and cater for the dynamically changing load conditions. It is a universal truth that high penetration of unmanaged rooftop solar introduces grid stability challenges, including steep evening ramp requirements that actually increase dependence on flexible gas based generation, he said.
He said given the unprecedented LNG supply disruption following force majeure declared by QatarEnergy amid the US-Israel-Iran conflict, some degree of demand management across sectors has become unavoidable.
He said while limited curtailment to the fertiliser sector may occur during such crises, it is typically managed carefully due to its importance for food security.
Similarly, any restrictions on commercial or higher-end domestic consumers would be targeted, temporary, and driven by system exigencies, not policy preference. The overarching objective in such extraordinary circumstances is to balance supply and demand, protect priority sectors, and maintain system stability without triggering widespread consumer unrest, he said. Leghari said the suggestion to fully shift to coal-based generation and shut down gas plants does not reflect how the power system is optimally operated.
In practice, indigenous coal plants are already prioritized in the merit order due to their relatively lower fuel cost and are dispatched accordingly.