[SMM PV News] UK Secures Record 4.9 GW Solar in AR7 Auction at £65/MWh

French energy giant Engie recently announced it will fully acquire the UK's largest distribution network operator, UK Power Networks (UKPN), for an equity consideration of approximately £10.5 billion (around $14.2 billion). This transaction marks the strategic exit of the original controlling shareholder, the consortium led by Li Ka-shing's Cheung Kong Group, after holding the asset for 16 years.

In recent years, the PV industry has entered a period of deep adjustment, with module prices continuing to decline, and both upstream and downstream segments of the industry chain facing severe profit compression. Driven by the imperative of "extreme cost reduction," PV glass, a key auxiliary material for PV modules, has imposed increasingly stringent requirements on the cost and quality of upstream raw materials.

Pakistan has officially transitioned to a net billing regime for solar, slashing the export rate for excess power from PKR 26 ($0.093) to PKR 13 per kWh. However, a controversial attempt by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to apply these lower rates retroactively to existing net metering contract holders was quashed following intervention by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Responding to public backlash, the Prime Minister ordered that existing agreements be honored, prompting Nepra to issue a draft amendment ensuring current users retain their original tariffs until their contracts expire.