Report by Engineering Post
Six nuclear power plants are operating at two different sites in Pakistan with a total installed capacity of 3530 Megawatts. Chashma Nuclear Power Generating Station at Chashma near Mianwali in Punjab province comprises four units i.e. Chashma-1, Chashma-2, Chashma-3 and Chashms -4 (C-1,C-2,C-3 and C-4) with a total capacity of 1330 MW. Karachi Nuclear Power Station, located on Karachi coast, has a total capacity of 2200 MW. This station contains two units K-2 and K-3 of the latest technology termed as generation-111 technology.
Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP), the country’s first nuclear power plant with a generation capacity of 137 MW was permanently shut down in August 2021 after 50 years of operation and was currently in the decommissioning phase.
Nuclear energy is a technology-driven source of power generation with a very low share of fuel cost in the total generation cost. As such, the overall cost of Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) remains relatively stable and predictable throughout their life.
Currently, the overall average tariff of Pakistan’s NPPs contains a notable share of the debt repayment associated with with the newly-constructed units. This debt repayment, according to the information available from the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), constitutes only 20 percent (12 years) of the NPP’s economic life . Following the debt period, the tariff of these projects will decrease to only one digit Rupees per unit as had happened in the case of C-1 and C-2 NPPs.
Pakistan’s NPPs were operating well up to the mark despite the downturn in the annual demand of electricity. The low fuel-cost, reliable supply, and technical expertise of PAEC has positioned these NPPs at the forefront in the merit order prepared by National Transmission % Dispatch Company (NTDC) for dispatch. Their combined capacity was as much as 80 percent over the period of nine months of financial year 2024-25, despite challenges on the demand side.
In Pakistan, the competitive and stable generation cost, along with a reliable supply, quite obviously make NPPs a vital source of energy for sustainable economic growth . Reduction of import dependency, enhancing supply security, and avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) further signify the rule in the energy system of Pakistan. The country’s NPPs annually avoid 16-18 million tonnes of GHG emissions. This avoidance can contribute to making Pakistan’s energy -intensive products more competitive in the context of the upcoming cross-border adjustment mechanism by the European Union and prospectively by other markets also.
Furthermore, according to NEPRA’s evaluation, both NPPSs stations of Pakistan had clinched top position for their exemplary standards in health, safety, and working environment during the year 2023-24 period.
Keeping the above in view, Pakistan was duly striving to maintain a practicable share of nuclear energy in the country’s power system. As a continuation of these efforts, on December 30,2024.the first concrete pouring ceremony of the upcoming 1200 MW C-5 project was held with expected commissioning by 2030-31.
