Pakistan’s Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB), a statutory body under the Ministry of Energy, has launched a tender to appoint a consultant for the development of 100 MW of distributed solar plants in the northern region of Gilgit-Baltistan. The Water and Power Department of the Gilgit-Baltistan government will act as the executing agency.
The consultant will independently verify the project’s non-solar works. These include transmission and distribution lines, fiber-optic networks, substations, access roads, and project-wide control, monitoring and energy management systems.
The assignment will cover verification of each component against its applicable completion, commissioning, energization, taking-over or commercial operation date. The consultant must also assess whether procurement, designs, materials, installation, testing, commissioning, contractual milestones and payment claims comply with the relevant contracts, approved designs, specifications and other requirements.
Equipment belonging to the solar plants is excluded from the consultancy’s scope.
The tender begins with an expression-of-interest phase for eligible and experienced consulting firms. International bidders may also participate, and applications must be submitted electronically by November 30.
Pakistan’s solar market has been expanding rapidly, particularly through distributed systems. According to analysis from the Pakistan Solar Association published in August, distributed solar supplied 27% of the country’s electricity in 2025. A paper published the following month reported that registered net metering is concentrated among higher-income consumers in areas served by the most reliable utilities, while unregistered off-grid and behind-the-meter systems are more prevalent where grid service is weaker.
Sources: pv magazine.