Shehbaz calls Chashma 5 dome a milestone for nuclear power

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended the ceremony marking the installation of the dome at Chashma Nuclear Power Plant Unit 5 in Mianwali, and described it as a historic milestone for what he called Pakistan's largest nuclear power station, built with Chinese assistance.

Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Defence Forces, attended the event, Aaj News reported. Express News said the prime minister inaugurated the dome.

Shehbaz said Chashma 5 would be Pakistan's seventh nuclear power plant and that its foundation stone was laid in July 2023. Work on the dome was completed ahead of the scheduled date, which he called a matter of pride. Express News reported him saying the milestone was reached in less than three and a half years.

The prime minister thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Chinese government and the China National Nuclear Corporation, and said Chinese engineers had worked alongside Pakistani experts as one team in extreme heat and cold. Express News reported that he also congratulated the China Atomic Energy Authority, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority.

He said the plant would provide clean, reliable and affordable electricity and would ease the effect of imported fuel prices. Unlike solar or wind generation, he said, its output does not depend on sunshine or wind being available, so factories can keep running through the night, hospitals keep their power supply and students can study under light.

Energy conservation mattered for both the public and the economy, the prime minister said. He said Pakistan is among the countries affected by climate change, which made it more important to find energy solutions that protect the environment while meeting economic goals.

Shehbaz said the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor would strengthen the partnership between the two countries, and described the friendship as higher than the Himalayas and deeper than the seas. Express News reported him saying the bond was stronger even than the steel joining the dome.

He praised the armed forces for their role in building peace and stability in the country and credited Field Marshal Asim Munir's leadership for the conduct of what he called the Maarka-e-Haq and for backing economic recovery and social development. He said Pakistan would build its own future through hard work and sustained effort.

Express News reported that the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission described the dome's installation on the C-5 unit as a key construction milestone for the project.