Pakistan completes dome placement at Chashma-5 nuclear plant
The 1,200-megawatt unit is expected to start generating electricity in September 2030, the commission's chairman said.
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission has placed the dome on the Chashma-5 nuclear power plant in Mianwali on Tuesday, the state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended the ceremony as chief guest, along with Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Chinese officials and representatives of relevant organizations.
Sharif credited engineers, technicians and workers from Pakistan and China for reaching the construction milestone ahead of schedule.
He said the project shows clean, emissions-free electricity generation in Pakistan.
Sharif also said the event reaffirmed the Pakistan-China All-Weather friendship and cooperation in economic, security and development sectors.
He stressed the need to use the country's resources and human capital to build an economically stronger, energy-secure and environmentally responsible Pakistan.
The commission's chairman said nuclear power plays a vital role in energy security by providing reliable, low-carbon electricity.
He said Pakistan's nuclear power plants are safely and efficiently generating 3,530 megawatts of electricity, avoiding about 15 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year.
He added that nuclear energy provides around 16.6 percent of the country's total electricity generation despite making up 8.6 percent of installed capacity, rising to 26 percent in winter.
The C-5 project will have a generation capacity of 1,200 megawatts and is expected to start generating electricity in September 2030.
Chashma-5 is one of several units at the Chashma nuclear complex in Mianwali district, Punjab, a site where Pakistan has worked with Chinese partners on nuclear power projects.
