Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif officially inaugurated the 1200 MW Chashma Nuclear Power Plant Unit 5 (C-5) in Mianwali on Friday in Islamabad.
Chashma-5 nuclear power plant: The initiative, according to the prime minister speaking at a ceremony held here in Chashma, will assist the nation promote clean, effective, and relatively less expensive energy.
“Our opponents had been spreading untrue rumours that Pakistan would back out of its sovereign obligations, but we crossed all troubled waters in just 15 months,” he continued.
He said that the government’s collective efforts had entirely eliminated the risk of a potential default.
The prime minister stated that the approval of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) program took place a few days ago, and within 48 hours, Pakistan’s friendly neighbors Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates sent approximately $4.5 billion, in addition to an additional $1.2 billion from the IMF.
prime minister claimed that about four months ago, the Chinese government and commercial institutions turned over $5 billion to Pakistan.
He gave tribute to UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, and Chinese President XI Jinping for their assistance during a time of need.
He stated that the Chinese company maintained the project’s cost at the level decided upon in 2017–18 by the PML–N government and did not include the average inflation of roughly 10% in the project cost as a result of the coalition government’s and his sincere efforts. Additionally, he said that a discount of Rs 30 billion was offered to Pakistan at his request, reflecting a sense of honesty between the two nations.
“China’s Chashma-5 Nuclear Power Station in Pakistan: A Milestone in Clean Energy Cooperation”
Charge d’affaires of the Chinese embassy in Pakistan, Pang Chunxue, spoke at the event and said that the Chashma-5 nuclear power station will assist Pakistan in developing low-carbon, clean, and affordable energy that would also create local jobs and attract local industries to participate in the project.
The all-weather strategic cooperative partnership now includes cooperation between Pakistan and China in nuclear energy, according to Yu Jianfeng, chairman of China’s National Nuclear Cooperation.
According to him, the construction of the Chashma-5 nuclear power station was an important turning point in the global development of the HPR 1000. China owns unique intellectual property rights to the third-generation nuclear power brand Hualong One (HPR 1000).
Ahsan Iqbal, the minister of planning, Khurram Dastgir Khan, the minister of energy, and Dr. Raja Ali Raza, the chairman of the PAEC, all attended the ceremony.