NEWS · 20 September 2026
Pakistan has launched its first competitive electricity market auction. 400 MW will be offered through “wheeling”, which lets consumers using more than 1 MW buy electricity directly from power producers and have it delivered over the grid. Household bills do not change: homes still get one bill from their distribution company.
What happened
Energy Minister Awais Leghari announced the launch on 20 September 2026. A request for proposals was issued for the first 400 MW wheeling auction under the Competitive Trading Bilateral Contract Market (CTBCM), the framework that moves Pakistan away from a single government buyer. The auction is run through the Independent System and Market Operator (ISMO). According to The Express Tribune, proposals are due by 20 November 2026.
The launch follows NEPRA’s determination of the Use of System Charge, the charge for using the network to carry the electricity. ProPakistani reported on 7 September that the minister called it the final major regulatory step needed for the auction.
Key facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| First auction | 400 MW |
| Planned over five years | 800 MW |
| Who can buy directly | Industrial and other large consumers using more than 1 MW |
| Run through | Independent System and Market Operator (ISMO) |
| Proposals due | 20 November 2026, as reported by The Express Tribune |
| Households | Not included; the minister said expansion is expected over the next few years, with no date given |
Will a new company send your electricity bill?
Videos on social media claim that a new company will now send electricity bills and that people will receive double bills. The announcement does not say this. Direct buying is open only to consumers using more than 1 MW, such as large factories. Homes and small businesses stay with their distribution company, such as LESCO or K-Electric, and receive one bill as before.
What it means for you
For now, nothing changes on a household bill. Monthly fuel adjustments, capacity payments and circular debt will keep shaping what homes pay. Until ordinary consumers can choose a supplier, the practical way for a home to choose its own electricity is to make it: rooftop solar used during the day, with net billing for the surplus.
Buy fewer units from the grid. Solar Net Metering designs solar systems for your own use and handles net billing across Pakistan: 10 kW net billing costs Rs 160,000 with LESCO and K-Electric, and Rs 200,000 with the other distribution companies.
اردو خلاصہ
20 ستمبر 2026 کو وفاقی وزیر توانائی اویس لغاری نے ملک میں مسابقتی بجلی مارکیٹ (سی ٹی بی سی ایم) کے تحت پہلی 400 میگاواٹ ویلنگ نیلامی کا اعلان کیا۔ اس کے تحت صرف 1 میگاواٹ سے زیادہ بجلی استعمال کرنے والے بڑے صنعتی اور تجارتی صارفین بجلی براہ راست پیدا کرنے والوں سے خرید سکیں گے۔ سوشل میڈیا پر دعویٰ کیا جا رہا ہے کہ اب بجلی کے بل نئی کمپنی بھیجے گی اور ڈبل بل آئیں گے، لیکن اعلان میں ایسا کچھ نہیں۔ گھریلو صارفین کو پہلے کی طرح لیسکو یا کے الیکٹرک جیسی اپنی تقسیم کار کمپنی سے ایک ہی بل ملے گا۔ عام صارفین کو یہ سہولت آئندہ چند برسوں میں ملنے کی توقع ہے۔