PAEC Foundation signs contract for 5MW hydropower plant at Chashma-5
The plant is expected to add about 30.66 million kilowatt-hours of electricity to the national grid each year by 2029.
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Foundation has signed a contract to build a five-megawatt hydropower plant at the outfall of the Chashma-5 nuclear power station, a project expected to feed about 30.66 million units of electricity into the national grid each year once it comes online in 2029.
The agreement for the Foundation Hydel Power Plant Unit-05 was signed on September 21, 2026, at PAEC headquarters, according to ProPakistani. The contract was awarded to a joint venture comprising China Ocean Engineering Construction Corporation Ltd., Ningbo Water Conservancy and Hydro Power Planning and Design Institute Co., Ltd., and Habib Rafique Engineering (Pvt.) Ltd.
PAEC said in a statement that the project will use water flow at the nuclear plant's discharge point to generate electricity without burning additional fuel, contributing to the efficient use of water resources and sustainable power generation. First power from the unit is expected by September 2029.
The plant will be the fifth hydropower unit built by the PAEC Foundation. Dawn reported that the Foundation is the non-profit welfare arm of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, set up in 1994 to support commission employees and their families.
Pakistan currently operates six nuclear power plants with a combined capacity of 3,530 megawatts, supplying low-cost electricity to the national grid, according to ProPakistani. The new five-megawatt hydropower unit will add to the Foundation's renewable energy portfolio and complement the commission's wider contribution to the power sector.
Neither outlet named a contract value for the project. The project adds a small but steady source of non-fossil generation to Pakistan's electricity mix.
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