Islamabad:
The Chashma-5 nuclear energy plant is expected to contribute to 1,200 megawatts (MW) of clean, safe and low-cost electricity to the national network.
The Chashma Nuclear Energy Complex, the general engineer, Habibur Rehman, made these comments while informing a group of journalists in the Chashma nuclear complex.
Informing that the project advanced quickly, he said that Pakistan was working to improve his nuclear energy generation capacity at 8,000MW, with the aim of making nuclear energy a reliable component of the combination of sustainable and affordable energy in the country.
On the occasion, the media representatives toured several operating units and under construction of the installation, where they were informed about the performance of the plants, the security protocols, the technical systems and the environmental standards.
The engineer Habibur Rehman said that Pakistan was currently among the 20 main nuclear energy producing countries worldwide, operating six nuclear reactors with a combined generation capacity of 3,530MW.
It is projected that the figure will rise to 4,730 MW after the end of Chashma-5, he added.
He explained that the Chashma-5 project was based on the advanced Hualong One design (HPR1000), a third generation pressurized water reactor.
The plant was developing in collaboration with the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). The first concrete of the project was poured on December 30, 2024.
Highlighting global trends, he said that nuclear energy was recovering international attention.
Several developed nations, including the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom and South Korea, which had previously reduced or planned to eliminate nuclear energy, were now committing to the sector and actively building new nuclear plants.
The general manager said that nuclear energy offered a profitable, safe and ecological electricity source. In the 2024 calendar year, nuclear energy represented approximately 13% of the total electricity supply of Pakistan. Only in December 2024, its participation reached its maximum point in around 26.5%.
