Power minister says national battery storage framework is being drafted
Awais Leghari told an Islamabad conference that safety, grid connection and investment rules for batteries are coming, with pilots already approved.
Pakistan's power minister has said the government is drafting a national framework for battery energy storage, as households and businesses buy batteries faster than the rules can follow. Awais Leghari spoke on 4 August at the Solar, Storage and Flexibility 2026 Conference in Islamabad, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) and Minute Mirror.
Leghari said the framework will cover safety standards, grid connection guidelines and investment regulations. A National Steering Committee on battery energy storage systems has been formed, backed by technical and regulatory working groups. Its job is to pick priority projects and speed up a national policy on storage.
The minister also said pilot battery projects have been approved inside electricity distribution companies. The data from those pilots is meant to guide regulation and larger rollouts later.
Storage as a matter of security
Leghari argued that storage is central to energy security. APP reported that he called it a strategic asset and said it is not an optional extra. He warned that without investment in storage, transmission and market design, the country's renewable targets could stall.
He pointed to recent disruptions in supplies of imported liquefied gas, which he said show the risk of depending on imported fuel. Such shortages can force load shedding even when solar output is high. He told international investors and development partners: "We will not trade one form of dependence for another."
The government wants clean sources to supply 90 per cent of electricity by 2035. Hydro, nuclear, wind and solar now provide about 55 per cent, he said, and nearly 38 gigawatts of solar has been installed, largely through consumer investment.
Local industry is part of the plan. Minute Mirror reported that the government wants to encourage domestic engineering, system integration and battery management software, while the Ministry of Industries and Production finalises incentives for local battery manufacturing.
For solar and storage startups, the message is that rules are coming. Companies that sell batteries, software or financing will be watching for the final safety and grid connection standards.
Reported from coverage by the Associated Press of Pakistan and Minute Mirror.
