Power Division to tender four 10MWh battery pilots soon
A Pakistan Solar Association figure put first-half 2026 battery imports near half of the country’s all-time 9.5GW total, as lawmakers pressed for standards and the Power Division floated pilot projects.
Pakistan imported over 4.5GW of battery storage equipment in the first six months of 2026, against cumulative historical imports of 9.5GW, a Pakistan Solar Association representative said.
Households and industry are adopting storage to cut exposure to high utility tariffs, speakers told a Parliamentary Forum on Energy & Economy dialogue in Islamabad.
A basic 5 kWh battery costs upwards of Rs250,000, and storage faces about 35% to 40% cumulative tax and customs duty, the association’s vice chairman said.
Within 15 days, the Power Division plans competitive tenders for four 10 MWh pilot BESS projects at LESCO, MEPCO, IESCO and PESCO, an advisor said.
NEPRA is designating battery storage as a regulated asset so distributors can ease overloaded transformers at about half the cost of new grid stations, the advisor added.