• Nuclear Energy’s annual report criticizes Chashma-5 for its high cost, prioritizing renewable energy projects
•World Nuclear Industry Status Report says solar energy beats nuclear in terms of efficiency and cost; reveals Pakistan’s renewable energy, including Hydro, rose from 14.2GW to 15.2GW in 2023
Islamabad: Pakistan’s net nuclear energy generation hit a record 21.7 Terawatt-Hours (TWH) in 2024, despite overall power costs and inefficiencies reaching the system’s tipping point, forcing consumers to turn to renewable energy, especially solar, nuclear industry, nuclear industry status report (WNESR) 2025.
“Pakistan operates six nuclear reactors with a total of (net) 3.3 GW (GW) (GW). Nuclear power output has increased from 21.3twh in 2023 to a new high of 21.7TWH (net) in 2024,” it said, “The factory was supported in December 12, 2024.
It added that its share of electricity increased from a peak of 16.2% in 2023 to a record 17% in 2024, adding that all operating reactors were built by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). This includes two Hualong One reactors outside Karachi (Kanupp-2 and Kananupp-3) and four CNP-300 nuclear reactors in Chashma.
CNNC also built another 1200 MW Hualong reactor in Chashma (unit 5). The agreement to build the reactor dates back to 2017, but it took seven years to go into the formal construction start, the first concrete of the reactor building’s basic slab that took place on December 30, 2024. The first non-Russian architecture that represents the last five years has begun anywhere in the world.
In January this year, the state power regulator released the overnight cost of Rs 966 crore (US$3.4 billion) for the CHASHMA-5 project, with a total cost (including financing and other costs) of Rs 1.125 crore (US$4 billion). The report said most of the project’s expenses plan was covered by China’s credit so that production would begin in 2030, adding that the project was criticized for its high electricity costs and the shelving of renewable energy projects to free up problems.
India has 21 operating nuclear reactors, generating a total of 7.4GW, more than double that of Pakistan (3.3GW), and New Delhi plans to add another 100GW by 2047, which is a goal and is impossible.
Renewable energy and nuclear
When it comes to global trends, SARS solar has increased by hundreds of gigawatts worldwide, while nuclear energy remains unrelated to market development in 2024.
In 2024, the total investment in non-sanitary renewable electricity capacity reached a record $72.8 billion, 21 times the global nuclear energy investment. “Solar and wind capacity increased by 32% and 11%, respectively, resulting in 565GW or a combined new capacity, more than 5.4 gw or 100 times the net nuclear capacity. Global wind and solar facilities generate 70% more electricity than nuclear energy.”
Not only that, new energy technologies undermine the market and systems as the challenges of integrating nuclear power into energy systems. Photovoltaic electric carriers generate harmless nano-thin semiconductor-connected power directly from solar radiation, allowing for continuous steep cost reduction and increased performance. Similar advances in power electronics and batteries have also been supplemented.
Together, these new technologies develop into highly flexible fully elected energy systems, with decentralized control logic over traditional centralized fossil and nuclear systems. “In this case, nuclear power is becoming increasingly difficult to survive. In 2024, it was a pivotal year as battery storage costs fell by 40%.
As the devices behind the scenes continue to expand, their capabilities become increasingly important. The report notes that the description has been recently made in Pakistan.
Between 2022 and 2023, electricity demand for public grids fell by 10%, while economic growth could be partially explained by examining import statistics for PV panels. In 2024 alone, the instant solar capacity reaches 22GW (compared to 46GW of traditional capacity operating in the public grid in 2023), mainly adding private devices behind the meter.
“The chaotic development factors exacerbate the sharp rise in public electricity prices and unwelcome reliability of the grid, creating new opportunities but also raising social problems,” it said. It highlights new challenges in managing transitions in emerging economies with strong sunshine. “In the case of Pakistan, it seems that the combination of key cost trends has reached a systemic turning point,” the report said.
Pakistan’s renewable electricity capacity was 15.2gw in 2024, up from 14.2gw in 2023. The total capacity is 11.5 gw, which is the most important component of this capacity, and solar energy is the fastest growing energy source. In 2024, the total solar capacity was 1.4GW, rising from 1.2GW at the end of 2023, while the wind constituted 1.8 gw, the same as in the previous two years.
Posted at Dawn on September 25, 2025
