PRIME Minister Shehbaz, on Tuesday, performed the dome placement ceremony of the country’s largest nuclear power plant – Chashma-5 – marking completion of the civil works of the Chinese-assisted project and beginning of internal construction and installation. The 1200-MW plant is expected to commence electricity generation in September 2030. Highlighting the significance of nuclear power plants, the PM said these generated “power that does not rise and fall with the price of imported fuel; power that does not depend on whether the sun shines or the wind blows; and power that runs through the night” for factories and hospitals.
This is, indeed, yet another milestone in the proud history of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), which successfully completed all tasks assigned to it by planners and decision-makers. We have repeatedly been emphasizing in these columns that the Commission has a singularity in completing important projects in a time-bound manner, which is in sharp contrast to scores of other projects, the cost of which escalated many times due to various reasons. The Commission, therefore, deserves kudos for saving hard earned money and delivering projects that are contributing to the socio-economic development of the country. The PAEC has lived up to its reputation as far as timely completion of the projects is concerned as the dome of Chashma-5 nuclear power plant is in place ahead of schedule prompting the Prime Minister to call it a proud moment for the country and thanking engineers, technicians and workers from Pakistan and China who worked on the project. The Chinese assistance in the steady development of Pakistan’s nuclear power programme is also another manifestation of strong friendship bonds between the two neighbours. It is relevant to point out that Pakistan has been facing consistent nuclear apartheid at the hands of other members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group but China has, all along, remained firm extending necessary cooperation to Pakistan in realizing its targets for increasing the share of the nuclear energy in the national energy mix. It is important to note that the Chinese manpower remains undeterred and continues to work shoulder-to-shoulder with their Pakistani friendship on a multitude of projects despite conspiracies being hatched by enemies of the Sino-Pak friendship. Critics of nuclear power have been proven wrong as all the six projects are successfully operating and are instrumental in ensuring provision of clean and dependable energy to the country. PAEC Chairman Dr Raja Ali Raza Anwar highlighted that nuclear power plays an important role in Pakistan’s energy security by providing reliable and low-carbon electricity. He added that Pakistan’s nuclear power plants safely and efficiently generate 3,530MW of electricity, avoiding 15 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually. It is a matter of pride that nuclear energy accounted for around 16.6 per cent of the country’s electricity generation, despite representing only 8.6pc of its installed capacity, with its share of electricity generation rising to 26pc during winter. Nuclear energy is proving its critical, growing role in Pakistan’s economy by providing low-cost, reliable and low-carbon base-load electricity that helps stabilize the national grid and reduce dependence on expensive imported fossil fuels. No doubt, nuclear power plants are cost intensive but their benefits outweigh the cost considerations. Experts also point out that at a time when imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) or thermal fuels face shortages or high spot-market prices (as we are experiencing now), nuclear generation helps buffer grid electricity costs and maintain price stability for industrial and domestic consumers. Generating domestic power via nuclear reactors displaces millions of tons of imported oil and gas annually, easing pressure on Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves and the trade deficit. However, it is time for Pakistan to go for indigenization in this critical field as well, beginning with local manufacturing of spares and parts of power plants and then moving towards development of small and medium scale nuclear power plants. Such an investment is worth-making.
