Pakistan envisions 40,000MW of nuclear power generation capacity: PAEC

E-Paper | March 18, 2026

VIENNA: Pakistan envisages nuclear power generation capacity of 40,000 Mega Watts (MW) under its Nuclear Energy Vision 2050 Chairman Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Muhammad Naeem said, Radio Pakistan reported.

Addressing the 59th International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference in Vienna, Naeem said that the PAEC has chalked out a plan to generate 8,000MW of electricity through nuclear means in order to help the country overcome its energy crisis.

Read: 8,900MW nuclear power generation planned

He said the PAEC was also providing peaceful applications of nuclear technology to the masses in the form of 18 oncology hospitals where approximately 80 per cent of the country's cancer patients were treated annually.

He said the PAEC also plans to expand its services by setting up more nuclear medical centres in the future.

Also read: Karachi's citizens fear 'nuclear nightmare'

Our readers are at the heart of everything we do.
Do you have a thought to share or a way we can improve? We’d love to hear it. Reach out to us at feedback@dawn.com.

Pakistan

Pakistan announces ‘temporary pause’ in Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against Afghan Taliban

FO rejects India’s ‘unwarranted’ statement on action against terrorist infrastructure in Afghanistan

Info minister says Imran’s sons ‘welcome to visit Pakistan’ using Nicop following Jemima’s appeal to PM

Sheraz Khalid

Sep 17, 2015 02:10pm

Next please!!

Recommend 0

Sep 17, 2015 02:11pm

Ha ha ha India and Pakistan type nations can never achieve that. Learn from Japan. In spite of a terrible accident (which can happen anywhere) they have a top notch nuclear power infrastructure.

Recommend 0

Shabbir Kazmi

Sep 17, 2015 02:15pm

Why to avoid construction of mega size dams that are also capable of delivering low cost energy. Pakistan needs dams to ensure round the supply of water for achieving food security.

Recommend 0

AKB

Sep 17, 2015 02:15pm

I want electricity at home now and not in the grave yard.

Recommend 0

Vectra

Sep 17, 2015 02:24pm

Do you know how much money pakistan needs for 40,000MW nuclear energy??? A single 1000MW reactor costs about $2.7-3.4 billion and 40,000MW will cost pakistan around $136 billion at current price half of Pakistan's GDP.Other costs like operating cost,maintenance and security cost is additional.Now when you talk about 2050 this cost may be exponentially high given the potential state of currency then by 2050.Well what i want to say is this is both impractical and un-affordable for small economy like pakistan with GDP mere $270 billion and is more for public consumption.

Recommend 0

Jainy

Sep 17, 2015 02:36pm

2050! Nice joke Mr. Chairman

Recommend 0

Manu.J

Sep 17, 2015 02:44pm

@AK we have other plans in India by 2050.That is thorium reactors.you can google on it.And bye the way we are aiming for GW production of renewable energy.And for your kind information by 2050 India will be the leading economy according to Worldbank if not i hope surely will be second or third with above 50 trillion.These are not my fantasy.Its predicted by Imf worldbank etc.

Recommend 0

Truth

Sep 17, 2015 02:48pm

Those who are saying that learn from this and that ..... please... whole EU is running on Nuclear power which is major source of power generation for them. In sweden electric bill are free of cost in Student buildings and nearly 100-150 SEK(1200-2000PKR) including running electric heaters (8 months) ..electric stoves in public apartments. There is not gas heaters/stoves. So please.... forgive Pakistan in this case

Recommend 0

Parvez

Sep 17, 2015 02:54pm

Extra power needs an upgraded transmission system.......do they even think, when they make statements like this ?

Recommend 0

Truth

Sep 17, 2015 02:59pm

@AKB Very well said.

Recommend 0

WORRIED

Sep 17, 2015 03:11pm

Why do we have to open our mouths and become laughing stock of the entire world.? The chairman should know that dreaming is something way way different than actually implementing on the ground. For transmitting the produced/generated electricity ( and here i mean by any means/methods), it needs very robust transmission gird work. So making statements like these makes people laugh on us.

Recommend 0

salman

Sep 17, 2015 03:12pm

Stop fooling the people please! Out of 900MW plant, you generate 15 MW, Another plant starts and shut down next day. Coal plants sucks billions. half of the installed capacity is idle and you are talking t new power plants???

Recommend 0

Kashif Syed

Sep 17, 2015 03:13pm

I love the smell of Indian jealousy :)

Recommend 0

Peter, USA

Sep 17, 2015 03:14pm

Easy to say in conference but will believe only when 5% of the work is done

Recommend 0

max

Sep 17, 2015 03:18pm

@Vectra Such clear and precise quoting of figures I wish you should have read the article as well before commenting, Although it is half of the total GDP of Pakistan but it is distributed on 35 years which is roughly 3 % annually, however since most of the tech we are ingenious it cost lot less than buying it from others.

Recommend 0

max

Sep 17, 2015 03:20pm

@Jainy No one jokes about nuclear ! You are making same mistake as your government this attitude may haunt the "world biggest economy of 2050"

Recommend 0

max

Sep 17, 2015 03:22pm

@AKB You should have worked harder and chosen wisely, why complain

Recommend 0

Muqaddam Khan

Sep 17, 2015 03:23pm

Great news for power outage-hit poor people

Recommend 0

Sep 17, 2015 03:28pm

I m an Indian myself, but I m sad to say even India wont have 40000 mw of installed nuclear electricity capacity by 2050. We are not Sweden or Japan. Renewable energy percentage can and probably will rise though.

Recommend 0

mav jay

Sep 17, 2015 03:33pm

We must have a plan in order to initially generate energy what is required by the people and industry of Pakistan. Not only this will address frustration but it is a method to generate further revenue for the government. It is a must to address as terrorism has been addressed by Army and with full support of Govt and all parties.

Recommend 0

Secular Pathan

Sep 17, 2015 03:33pm

We need Combined Cycle Gas Turbine Electricity Generation Plants. They have the highest efficiency and are cheap to build and run. This is a short term solution, in the long term we need to start working on Solar and Wind energy. Nuclear is very dangerous and highly expensive to maintain/run.

Recommend 0

Gaurav Arya

Sep 17, 2015 03:36pm

@Kashif Syed - Brother, we are not jealous. If you get power, why would we be jealous? It has nothing to do with us. But my view here is that Pakistani leaders keep on announcing that in next 6 months load shedding will stop, in next 3 months terrorism will stop etc etc. All are predictions. I have never read of any Pakistani leader saying that in the last Financial Year Pakistan produced this much MW electricity. There is no press conference of past performance. There is only some hope for the future.

Recommend 0

usman

Sep 17, 2015 03:39pm

why are we always talking about capacity,,, whats on ground?

Recommend 0

pakis92

Sep 17, 2015 03:46pm

thumbs up for chairman PAEC... PAEC is doing a great service to the nation by not only providing and generating electricity but also providing health care facilities...the only cancer hospital in quetta is being run by PAEC. we have never seen PAEC chairman collecting donations like IMRAN KHAN(A MNA FROM NA-56, BUT HE NEVER VISITS HIS CONSTITUENCY)....

Recommend 0

pakis92

Sep 17, 2015 03:48pm

@Parvez mr PARVEZ the engineers at atomic energy are not dumb like our politicians if they are building a nuclear reactor then on side they are also working on the transmission lines...

Recommend 0

A. Ali

Sep 17, 2015 03:53pm

after reading the caption I was quite sure they are talking to achieve same in next some 30/40 years and rightly do they keep amusing us about such dreams. what about our present ?. past is history ... no one saw future. our politician will come one after another and pass their tenures by putting blames on predecessors and throwing away dreams, wishes, projects in line etc .... next one comes in power and same story repeats.... wow.

Recommend 0

Vectra

Sep 17, 2015 04:00pm

@max "Although it is half of the total GDP of Pakistan but it is distributed on 35 years which is roughly 3 % annually" This is anonymous guess nothing else given the PKR now is 100-103 per USD and and if things become ok in pakistan then all is ok but if things will go from bad to worse then the figure i quoted as $136 billion may be double that amount.So i very well know what i am speaking but your 3% logic over 35 year only on 1 sector nuclear is too much high and is absurd.

Recommend 0

damino gilgiti

Sep 17, 2015 04:04pm

stop the electricity that already is being being filched by robbers..

Recommend 0

max

Sep 17, 2015 04:28pm

@Vectra You are unaware of electricity prices in Pakistan, by your calculations the total cost is 136 billion $ distributed over 35 years please do the math. Price of dollar does not matter in this case as we are making it our-self, and believe me once I say it is lot cheaper once you are making it.

Recommend 0

Wali

Sep 17, 2015 04:28pm

All pipe dreams. Pakistan hasn't even figured and planned how to address current energy deficit in well over a decade and infact the gap between supply and demand has increased over years and here we are talking about 2050.

Recommend 0

max

Sep 17, 2015 04:30pm

@WORRIED you are too much worried for no reason , you seem to watch lot of media defaming Pakistan.Believe me brother it not like politicians and police some people are really working.

Recommend 0

Rohail

Sep 17, 2015 04:34pm

Building and Commissioning 1000MW costs $10billion. This means it requires $4trillion to build 40 of those. So stop day dreaming and try commissioning Nandipur first. Don't ever screwup nation with such feasibility studies and commissions.

Recommend 0

Damn

Sep 17, 2015 04:47pm

Nice joke of the day... Looks like a sales target which never going to achieve.

Recommend 0

Vectra

Sep 17, 2015 04:53pm

@max "You are unaware of electricity prices in Pakistan, by your calculations the total cost is 136 billion $ distributed over 35 years please do the math. Price of dollar does not matter in this case as we are making it our-self, and believe me once I say it is lot cheaper once you are making it." Really!! $136 billion distributed over 35 years brings around approximately $3.88 billion.When pakistan currently doesn't have or generate $1 billion minimum on its own and had to rely on IMF and WB for loans and re loan every 2-5 years for a broad range of projects then you are dreaming of spending $3.88 bilion every year on nuclear alone for continuous 35 years.If pakistan had that much capbility then it would not have run to IMF,ADB,WB etc etc on quarterly basis.

Recommend 0

M Akram

Sep 17, 2015 04:54pm

If only and if only! Welcome dreamland Pakistani style!

Recommend 0

Dilawar Khan

Sep 17, 2015 04:57pm

we have the potential to generate atomic energy. The government should pay attention to utilize this source. On the other hand we should concentate on dams construction. This is also necessary to control floods in Pakista.

Recommend 0

max

Sep 17, 2015 05:06pm

@Vectra India has lot more debt than Pakistan

Recommend 0

max

Sep 17, 2015 05:09pm

@Vectra You are denying your previous statements.

Recommend 0

N.Sid

Sep 17, 2015 05:17pm

Difficult but achievable. Pakistan currently have 3 nuclear plants up and running and with two more operational in 2016 it will be five operational plants. Chashma I, II is up and running, III and IV opening next year. The 1100x2 Kanupp II& III is under fast paced construction, costing 5 billion USD, part of CPEC projects. As mentioned three 1100x3 plants are proposed with China funding and is very much practical. Here I am not mentioning the Khushab 4x50 MW nuclear reactors not meant for civilian use.

Recommend 0

Imran AB

Sep 17, 2015 05:32pm

@ak Thanks to the USA that rebuilt everything in Japan after the second world war and helped their economy with imports.

Recommend 0

raja

Sep 17, 2015 06:13pm

@max india also having more reserve than pakistan and having wealth by means of knowledge , immigrants in many countries...!! so u don't worry about india my friend...!!!

Recommend 0

Yasir

Sep 17, 2015 06:31pm

How about tapping 100,000MW wind energy potential?

Recommend 0

M.Saeed

Sep 17, 2015 06:34pm

The leaders who can blast the vision of their Quaid into thin air just after his death, can blast any vision of good for the nation without waiting for any date.

Recommend 0

Meera Jee

Sep 17, 2015 07:17pm

This is called: PIE in the SKY.

Recommend 0

Saeed Masood

Sep 17, 2015 07:35pm

Not only Pakistan will achieve these goals it will stop the criticism of Pakistan cannot do this Pakistan cannot do that.Sir Pakistan can do every thing in the world and better nothing can stop Pakistan from going forward and doing better and better Inshahallah.

Recommend 0

Tariq Gee

Sep 17, 2015 08:12pm

All avenues for power generation should be considered including hydel, coal, nuclear but not furnace given long term cost considerarions.

Recommend 0

Aziz

Sep 17, 2015 08:12pm

You can envision anything I want to. Why don't you do it and then say "Look! We did it". That will give you more respect.

Recommend 0

Aziz

Sep 17, 2015 08:13pm

The way Pakistan's population is growing, 40k MW won't be enough by 2050. Is that what your 35 year plan is? Just keep the status quo?

Recommend 0

WORRIED

Sep 17, 2015 08:20pm

@max If they are working I will surely support them.

Recommend 0

Shahid

Sep 17, 2015 08:33pm

Nuclear energy production stands at 3,5 billion USD for a 1000 MW with an imported reactor. But if Pakistan succeeds in making reactors at home, this cost could be reduced by 35-40%. And for those who claim it to be unaffordable for Pakistan should consider that Pakistan is already investing 50 billion USD in energy sector only in Next 4 years. Ofcourse a big part of it is Investments by China but then isn't it the way things get established. After all India isn't dreaming to become an economic force by investing only its own money, or does she?

Recommend 0

Kamil Sanaulla

Sep 17, 2015 08:42pm

How are they going to generate that much Nuclear Power. They need the help and technology of the US companies (Westinghouse, GE ) and that they get only with the approval of the US Government and its Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Chinese are building their Nuclear Power with the help of these companies and the US government approval for these companies to transfer Nuclear Power technologies to the Chinese govt and its Nuclear departments.

Recommend 0

Sense

Sep 17, 2015 08:54pm

@Vectra you are assuming pakistans economy would be 270 billion in 2050,surely it will be at least $5 trillion by then, it's already a trillion dollars at PPP

Recommend 0

Mohammed Farooq

Sep 17, 2015 09:43pm

@Manu.J My advice to Manu is to visit China first before writing any more. IMF can predict but cannot deliver.

Recommend 0

Iftikhar Bhutta

Sep 17, 2015 10:37pm

People want electricity and do not like to listen stories about installation of new power projects . During past two and half years tenure of PMLn government one mega watt has not been added . The planning to set up nuclear power generation houses is good if done earlier possible .

Recommend 0

someone

Sep 18, 2015 05:37am

Pakistanis are , well, great dreamers. Few years back, coal from Thar was going to take care of all ills of Pakistan and now this Nuclear energy. What happened to Nandipur plant? Is it generating electricity or not?

Recommend 0

Asgher Ali

Sep 18, 2015 06:47am

I would check the technical/ fiscal qualifications of the Charman. In my opinion he is unfit for the job as evidenced by this irresponsible statement. But ten he is only dreaming.

Recommend 0

Ramesh

Sep 18, 2015 12:23pm

Can we have some planning done for 2020 before talking about 2050.

Recommend 0

Branded Content

FaisalTown Group and Alfalah Investments forge strategic partnership for REIT-based villa development at Faisal Hills

The collaboration will advance healthcare, infrastructure advisory, and the development of 100 premium villas through an innovative REIT investment structure.