QUETTA ; The Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO) has commenced work on the fifth phase of its project to convert agricultural tubewell connections to solar energy, disconnecting consumers from the grid and retrieving associated electrical equipment.
According to officials, the government has released approximately Rs. 2.486 billion to 1,243 agricultural consumers included in Phase Five of the project. Following the disbursement of funds, QESCO teams have begun disconnecting these agricultural connections and removing transformers, electricity poles, and other equipment to prevent them from being reconnected to the company’s network.
This initiative is part of a broader provincial government drive to solarize all agricultural tubewell connections. Landowners across Balochistan are being compensated in phases to transition to solar power.
The cumulative scope of the project is significant. Under Phase One, 2,699 connections were severed after the payment of Rs. 5.398 billion. Phase Two saw 3,729 consumers disconnected following a disbursement of Rs. 7.458 billion. In Phase Three, 7,000 connections were cut after the release of Rs. 14 billion. Most recently, under Phase Four, QESCO disconnected 12,250 agricultural connections after the government paid out Rs. 24.5 billion.
With the inclusion of Phase Five, a total of Rs. 53.842 billion has now been paid to 26,921 agricultural consumers across the province for the solar energy conversion project.
A key component of the solarization plan is the mandatory return of government-owned electrical equipment. After receiving the payment, agricultural consumers are obliged to return agricultural transformers, HT poles, and other associated equipment to QESCO. While some consumers have cooperated, others have not yet handed over the equipment.
Officials report that so far, 14,447 agricultural transformers and related equipment have been returned by landowners who have switched to solar energy. However, agricultural consumers in various operation circles have yet to return another 12,474 transformers and associated equipment, despite having received the funds.
To address this non-compliance, the provincial government has approved the Balochistan Agricultural Solarization and Prevention of Electricity Theft Draft Law, 2025. This new legislation will enable authorities to take legal action against landowners who have received the solarization funds but failed to return the transformers, poles, and other electrical equipment to QESCO.
QESCO has issued an appeal to all agricultural consumers who have converted to solar energy, urging them to cooperate fully in the process of returning the equipment. The company stated that their cooperation is essential for the timely and successful completion of the province-wide solarization project.
