Govt launches competitive power market for large consumers
The new system lets producers and large users trade power directly, with the first 400 MW wheeling auction now open.
- On Sunday, Federal Energy Minister Awais Leghari announced Pakistan's competitive electricity market launch. ISMO issued an RFP for a 400-megawatt wheeling auction enabling industrial consumers to purchase power directly from producers.
- Leghari described the launch as a practical implementation of a reform that "every government for the last 25 to 30 years wanted." The shift moves Pakistan away from its traditional single-buyer electricity model toward competitive markets.
- The first phase covers industrial consumers using more than one megawatt of power. Ordinary consumers will be brought into the system in the coming years, allowing them to negotiate bilateral power supply arrangements directly.
- Interested participants must submit proposals by November 20, 2026, to participate in the auction. Leghari stated that lower electricity costs would help Pakistani industry compete in international markets and increase exports.
- The auction serves as an initial step toward providing infrastructure for consumers and suppliers to trade power independently. Leghari congratulated Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the development, marking a significant transition in Pakistan's power sector.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Power Division issues RFP for country’s first-ever electricity wheeling auction
ISLAMABAD - A major step has been taken towards transforming Pakistan’s power sector from a single-buyer model to a competitive electricity market, with the Power Division issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the country’s first-ever electricity wheeling auction.
Pakistan moves towards competitive electricity market as first power auction launched
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has taken a major step towards shifting its power sector from a single-buyer model to a competitive electricity market, with the Power Division inviting proposals for the country’s first electricity wheeling auction. The Power Division has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the auction under the Competitive...
Pakistan Opens Electricity Market to Direct Buying and Selling
ISLAMABAD: The federal government has announced that it is moving away from the traditional centralized electricity procurement system and has invited applications for Pakistan’s first electricity wheeling auction. Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Federal Minister for Energy Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari said the government was, with effect from today, practically withdrawing from the […]
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