Business community rejects govt’s solar policy

ISLAMABAD: The Business community has rejected the government policy of net metering for rooftop solar panels arguing that the exports targets could only be achieved with solution of energy problems.

They said that the government was doing unnecessary delay for providing relief in power tariffs. These views were expressed by President FPCCI Atif Akram Sheikh in a press conference along with leaders of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industries here on Tuesday.

They said that the power tariffs got reduced by Rs4 to 5 with the struggle of the business community. The FPCCI president said that electricity tariff hovered around 6 to 7 cents in this region but in Pakistan it’s rates ranged around 15 cents.

The United Business Group Patron Chief SM Tanveer said that it would be difficult to achieve export if the energy prices would not be rationalized. He said that the government negotiated to reduce tariff with IPPs and raised question that why negotiations with public sector power plants were not accomplished.

He said that there was a need to bring policy rate in a single digit. So far many industries got shut down. They demanded that the government must introduce a 10 year plan for the industrial sector.