Pakistan produced an all-time high of 21.7 terawatt-hours (TWh) of nuclear electricity in 2024, up from 21.3 TWh in 2023, lifting the share of nuclear power in the national grid to a record 17% from 16.2% a year earlier, according to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR) 2025.
The report said that despite record output, overall electricity costs and inefficiencies have reached a systematic tipping point, prompting more consumers to shift to renewables, particularly solar.
Pakistan operates six nuclear reactors with a combined net capacity of 3.3 gigawatts (GW). All are built by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), including two Hualong One reactors — Kanupp-2 and Kanupp-3 — near Karachi, and four CNP-300 units at the Chashma site in Punjab.
The country began work in December 2024 on another 1,200 MW reactor, Chashma-5, with Chinese backing. The plant is China’s only nuclear new-build project currently under construction abroad and the first non-Russian nuclear start globally in the past five years.
Pakistan’s National Electric Power Regulatory Authority in January estimated the overnight cost of Chashma-5 at 966 billion rupees ($3.4 billion) and the total project cost, including financing, at 1.125 trillion rupees ($4 billion). Most funding will come from Chinese credit, with commercial operation targeted for 2030. The WNISR said the project has drawn criticism for its cost and for shelving renewable energy projects to prioritize nuclear power.
Pakistan’s renewable electricity capacity increased to 15.2 GW in 2024, up from 14.2 GW in 2023. Hydropower remains the largest component at 11.5 GW, but solar is expanding fastest.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, speaking Wednesday at the UN Climate Conference in New York, said Pakistan aims to expand nuclear power capacity by another 1,200 MW by 2030 and increase the combined share of renewables and hydropower to 62% by 2035.
By Aamir Latif in Karachi, Pakistan
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr
