ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has proposed amendments to the Consumer Service Manual (CSM) to allow Bulk Power Consumers (BPCs) to procure electricity simultaneously from the Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) and one or more Competitive Suppliers (CS).
The proposed changes are aimed at giving practical effect to amendments made to the NEPRA Consumer Eligibility Criteria (Electric Power Suppliers) Regulations, 2022, through SRO 635(I)/2026 issued on April 14, 2026, while facilitating implementation of the Competitive Trading Bilateral Contract Market (CTBCM) framework.
Under the proposed mechanism, a BPC with a sanctioned load of at least one megawatt would be allowed to contract fixed and defined percentages of its total energy and capacity requirements with the SoLR and one or more competitive suppliers.
The combined share contracted with the SoLR and all competitive suppliers would have to equal 100 percent of the consumer’s total energy and capacity requirements.
NEPRA noted that the existing CSM, revised on November 26, 2025, does not contain specific provisions for multiple supplier arrangements or procedures for switching between the SoLR and competitive suppliers.
The proposed amendments are therefore intended to establish the operational framework needed to implement the regulatory provisions already notified by the Authority.
The changes could have significant implications for industrial and other large electricity consumers, providing them with greater flexibility in managing their electricity procurement.
Under the proposed arrangement, a BPC could retain a defined portion of its electricity requirements with the regulated SoLR while purchasing the remaining share from one or more competitive suppliers under bilateral agreements.
The proposed amendments also seek to clarify operational procedures relating to connections, metering, billing, settlement and switching between suppliers.
Under the emerging competitive market structure, electricity supplied by the SoLR would continue to be governed by regulated and uniform terms, while the competitive component would be supplied under bilateral arrangements between consumers and competitive suppliers.
Relevant regulated charges, including Use-of-System Charges (UoSC), would continue to apply to the applicable transactions.
NEPRA has invited industry associations, electricity consumers and other market participants to review the proposed amendments and identify potential practical gaps before the framework is finalised.
The Authority has particularly encouraged industry-to-industry consultations to develop workable recommendations on issues that could emerge during implementation of multiple supplier arrangements.
Stakeholders have been given 30 days from publication of the public notice to submit their comments and feedback to NEPRA.
The proposed changes are expected to attract close attention from industrial consumers and electricity market participants as Pakistan moves towards a more competitive electricity market.
The initiative represents another step towards expanding consumer choice, enabling direct power procurement and operationalising competition under the CTBCM framework.
Story by Mushtaq Ghumman
