PAEC Foundation signs contract for hydropower plant at outfall of Chashma-5

Dawn reported that the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) Foundation has inked a deal for its fifth hydropower station, a 5MW facility to be built at the outfall of the Chashma-5 nuclear plant. The agreement was finalised at PAEC headquarters with a joint venture made up of China Ocean Engineering Construction Corporation Ltd., Ningbo Water Conservancy and Hydro Power Planning and Design Institute Co. Ltd., and Habib Rafique Engineering (Pvt.) Ltd.

According to a PAEC statement, the plant is expected to produce about 30.66 million kilowatt-hours of clean power each year for the national grid once it starts operating. Electricity generation is due to begin by September 2029, and the project will tap the water potential available at the site. The foundation, a non-profit arm of PAEC set up in 1994 for the welfare of commission staff, said the plant will widen its renewable energy portfolio.

The contract comes amid other energy developments. PAEC's six nuclear plants currently supply 3,530MW to the grid, and in June Wapda restored the affected units of the Gomal Zam Hydropower Station to its full 17.4MW capacity after eight years. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has asked authorities to draft a comprehensive renewable energy strategy, saying that more hydropower, solar and biogas output would lower production costs and support economic growth.