Pakistan Is Underreporting Its Solar Power Generation

Pakistan's government energy statistics appear to be significantly underreporting the country's growing solar power generation capabilities. In fiscal year 2025 (FY25), official data indicated a mere 1.6 percent increase in primary energy supply, while energy consumption rose by 8 percent. However, these figures fail to account for the substantial energy produced through distributed solar installations, according to the "Renewables First, Pakistan Energy Market Review, 2026" (PEMR26) report.

This report estimates that the surge in distributed solar energy displaced about 13 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) in primary energy supply requirements during FY25. Consequently, Pakistan would have needed an additional equivalent amount of fossil fuel supplies to maintain the same level of energy consumption if solar power wasn't factored in.

The rapid expansion of solar power has also lifted Pakistan's overall electrification rate to 27 percent. Industrial electrification saw a rise from 20 percent to 25 percent between FY23 and FY25, while the adoption of solar energy continued to increase among residential and agricultural consumers.