Shehbaz attends dome placement at 1,200MW Chashma-5 nuclear plant

The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission completed the placement of the dome at the Chashma-5 nuclear power plant in Mianwali district on Tuesday, a construction milestone announced by the Prime Minister's Office and marked at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.

The unit will have a generation capacity of 1,200 megawatts and is expected to begin producing electricity in September 2030, according to the Prime Minister's Office statement carried by Business Recorder.

"C-5 Project is a manifestation of clean and emissions-free electricity generation in Pakistan," Shehbaz said at the ceremony.

The prime minister said nuclear energy accounts for around 16.6% of the country's electricity generation from 8.6% of its installed capacity, and that the share rises to 26% in winter. He said the event reaffirmed the Pakistan-China all-weather friendship and the two countries' cooperation in economic, security and development sectors, Business Recorder reported.

The PAEC chairman said Pakistan's nuclear plants are safely generating 3,530MW and avoiding about 15 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year. Six nuclear units are in operation. Chashma-5 is a pressurised water reactor and will be the seventh unit China has helped build in the country.

Minute Mirror reported that the dome went up ahead of schedule, roughly three and a half years after the project was inaugurated in July 2023, and that the prime minister said he expected the plant to come online before the planned deadline. Chinese officials and representatives of the organisations involved attended, that report said.

Shehbaz thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Chinese government and the China National Nuclear Corporation, and named the China Atomic Energy Authority, contractors, engineers and financial institutions among those who delivered the milestone. He thanked the people of Mianwali for hosting the project and linked Chashma-5 to the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Minute Mirror reported that the prime minister also praised Field Marshal Asim Munir's leadership during Marka-e-Haq and his support for the government's efforts to revive the economy. He said a stable electricity supply was essential for industries, hospitals and educational institutions, and that Pakistan needed sustainable energy sources that could meet growing demand while protecting the environment.

The Express Tribune reported that the prime minister called the dome placement a historic milestone and praised cooperation between Islamabad and Beijing.