Daily Times

Pak-China Joint Chambers of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) President Moazzam Ghurki said on Friday that electricity generation through nuclear power plants could help overcome energy crisis.

Talking to the media here, he said that global warming was causing gradual depletion of non-renewable sources of energy such as oil, gas and coal. This situation was compelling various countries including most of the European states to reconsider their energy policies.

Ghurki said that many of them were opting for energy production through nuclear power plants, which was not only safer, cheaper and effective but also supports self-reliance. He said that Pakistan too turned its focus on producing energy through its nuclear power plants (NPPs) – such as Karachi Nuclear Power Plants (having the capacity of 1100MW each), the Chasma-1 (325MW), the Chasma-2 (325MW), the Chasma-3 (350MW), and the Chasma-4 (350MW) – under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.

“Recently our government has signed an MoU for a 1200-MW unit 5 of the Chashma nuclear power plant, which is being built by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). These NPPs would not only increase the country’s electricity production but also help save billions of US dollars that Pakistan was currently spending for running other sources of energy. There is a need for both educating the government on such feasible, reliable and cheaper options, and also increasing awareness amongst the common masses.”

On this occasion, PCJCCI Senior Vice President Fang Yulong said that energy played a significant role in running the economic engine of a country. “The more energy Pakistan produces and effectively uses, the more it protects its economy from fragility and the more it has the chances to prosper. Thus, with national awareness and consistent functioning of Pakistan’s NPPs, the country can surely save more money and energy,” he observed.

He further said as the world moved away from carbon-based sources and towards nuclear energy, it was imperative for Pakistan to be proactive by undertaking stringent measures in order to successfully complete the Chasma-5 nuclear power plant including that of K-4 and K-5 in Karachi and M-1 and M-2 in Muzaffargarh. The joint chamber’s Vice President Hamza Khalid shared his views by saying that this project will definitely boost the economy of Pakistan. “Our government has initiated large projects with China under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and its benefits are having a trickle down effect. Progress is visible on projects of roads, Thar coal and Gwadar, while the GDP growth has risen to over 5 per cent and hoped it will be 6 per cent next year,” he remarked. PCJCCI Secretary General Salahuddin Hanif said that there was a need for both educating the government on such feasible, reliable and cheaper options, and also increasing awareness amongst the common masses.