Daily Times

Peaceful use of nuclear technology and its optimum utilisation holds the key to resolving energy-related woes of Pakistan besides helping the country achieve a sustainable solution to mitigate the climate change crisis. This was the crux of the deliberations and discourse held during the seminar on ‘Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy’ held here on Tuesday.

The seminar was organised by the Center for International Strategic Studies Sindh (CISSS) in collaboration with DHA Suffa University (DSU) and Millennium Institute of Technology and Entrepreneurship (MiTE), at the DSU auditorium.

The seminar was divided into plenary and core sessions.

Prof. Dr. Huma Baqai, Rector MiTE chaired and opened the plenary session.

She elaborated that according to the Government of Pakistan’s vision, 40,000 MW of electricity produced through nuclear power plants (NPP) by 2050, fulfilling a quarter of the total energy needs of the country, is an appreciable landmark and needs to be pursued in the best national interest.

Prof. Dr. Ahmed Saeed Minhas Vice Chancellor DSU delivered the welcome address. He highlighted the importance of collaboration between national departments for achieving sustainable goals for the country.

Mr. Junaid Naqi, President, Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) closed the session with his concluding remarks highlighting the role of NPPs including four in Chashma and two in Karachi providing over 3500 MW of clean, energy to the national grid. He further shed light on the role of nuclear energy being utilized by PAEC in radiopharmaceuticals, isotope production, non-destructive testing, water desalination and other venues which offer venues for collaboration between industry, academia, public and private sectors. “Energy fuels growth and growth empowers nations and use of Atom for Peace and Development is the out of box solution that the country direly needs and KATI vows to extend its full support in every step taken to this effect,” he added.

The keynote address of the session was delivered by Mr. Khaqan Hassan Najeeb, Former Advisor, Ministry of Finance. He elaborated the energy reset vision. In his presentation, Mr. Khaqan paid a rich tribute to Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) which he said is the best example of how a competent workforce equipped with autonomy in making independent decisions can work wonders. The same model of success needs to be replicated in all public sector departments. He stressed that there is nothing like ‘game-changer’ as only hard work and consistent efforts to stabilise the macro economy can help Pakistan come out of the crisis. “Reorganized Energy Architecture is the ultimate destination for Pakistan. A competitive market in the energy retail industry is the need of the hour. Approximately 3600 MW of electricity, fulfilling 10 percent of electricity needs of the country is being produced through nuclear power which is quite encouraging and this clean source of energy which is also baseload needs to be further prioritized,” he added. Mr. Najeeb further said that policy and tax reorganization and reforms is a must and it can be achieved only by hiring the competent human resource, incentivising demand of electricity and managing its cyclicity.

Explaining the Economics of Nuclear Power he said, in 2023, nuclear provided 17% of the total electricity, which is an impressive success story and Pakistan needs more such good stories. “Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) keep running for 70 to 80 years, which makes them a better option as compared to oil, gas, and coal powered plants. NPPs run with over 80% of the efficiency and capacity factor. These NPPs keep running for 18 months without a break after every fuel load, which ensures energy security for the country,” Mr. Khaqan closed his speech saying that by introducing a synergistic approach to energy planning, depth and substance in transformation and well-regulated market solutions, Pakistan can succeed in overcoming its energy woes.

This was followed by an interactive session in which students, media and stakeholders from industry asked pertinent questions from the panel of experts to which satisfactory responses were given.

The core session of the seminar was opened and chaired by Ambassador Qazi M. Khalilullah (R), Executive Director CISSS. In the opening remarks of the core session of the seminar, he said, ” Pakistan embarked upon peaceful uses of the nuclear technology about six decades ago. Pakistan is operating its NPPs under International Atomic Energy Agency’s safeguards and have a well-recognized record of safety and security in running its civil nuclear facilities. COP28 held in UAE in 2023 and its recommendation to triple the nuclear capacity was a landmark event and similar pledge by 31 nations during COP29 held in 2024 further highlights the importance given to nuclear energy by the comity of nations in achieving zero carbon emissions target. Nuclear energy is clean as well as affordable. Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Micro Reactors, a sub class of SMRs, is the future of nuclear energy.

Later, Prof. DR. Shahida Wizarat from College of Economics & Social Development, Institute of Business Management, Karachi elucidated on the subject of Nuclear Energy Economics in Pakistan. She presented an overview of the challenges faced by Pakistan’s economy, the issue of Independent Power Projects (IPPs) as a root cause of the crisis faced by the country. “52.1% of the electricity comes from Oil, Gas, RLNG and Coal and which is why the electricity generation mix presents a gloomy picture resulting in burdening the national exchequer by a hefty amount of foreign exchange being incurred in buying the imported fuel. She added that Hydro and Nuclear, despite being cheap and environment friendly, have lesser share in the electricity generation mix. Nuclear has the lowest tariff of Rs. 12.97 per unit. NPPs tariffs don’t fluctuate like fossil fuels, they are fuel efficient and require low foreign exchange. Dr. Shahida Wizarat concluded saying that besides focusing on Nuclear Power, there is also a need that the country should further explore Shale Gas Reserves and Underground Coal Gasification options, as well.

Afterwards, Mr. Waqar Ahmed Malik, former MD Fauji Foundation shared his views on Nuclear Energy for Industrial Development in Pakistan. He said that the greatest issues being faced and discussed all over the world are energy security and food security followed by climate change, decarbonisation and digitisation.

In the end, Mr. Javed Jabbar, former Senator and Federal Minister also addressed the seminar which he appreciated and named as ‘Nuclear Literacy’ effort.

Ambassador Sarwar Naqvi, Executive Director CISS Islamabad; dignitaries from SPD as well as PAEC also attended the seminar.

The seminar concluded with another engaging interactive session.