Sky-high power prices are fueling a massive solar buildout in Pakistan.
Solar imports from China so far this year have already outstripped imports across all of last year, Bloomberg reports. Panels purchased in 2024 amount to 17 gigawatts of capacity, enough to raise Pakistan’s total power capacity by a third.
Solar is gaining traction on farms and factories after the government cut electricity subsidies, causing prices to spike. In many places, electric bills cost more than rent, and blackouts are common. Since removing solar import curbs, Pakistan has become the third-largest buyer of Chinese panels.
“It’s the price of electricity that’s kicking people out of the grid,” energy minister Awais Leghari recently told the Financial Times. “I don’t blame them, we need to improve ourselves.”
The solar boom could come at a cost, however. Utilities stand to lose critical revenue as customers increasingly generate their own power, and Pakistanis who cannot afford solar panels may be left to pay even higher utility bills.
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