Pakistan To Build Two Largest Nuclear Power Projects

Islamabad, Nov 27, IRNA -- Pakistan Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, on Tuesday inaugurated construction work on the country’s largest nuclear power projects in Karachi that will produce 2200 megawatt of electricity. The Coastal Power Project‚ will be completed within 72 months, built with the Chinese cooperation, the Prime Minister said at the ground-breaking ceremony. “The beginning of the 2200 MW power project is indeed a proud moment in the energy history of Pakistan. This is one of the first steps of our goal of racing towards a “load-shedding free” Pakistan. I am grateful to the Chinese government for extending help and support to Pakistan in this hour of need,” Prime Minister Sharif said. He said the ground-breaking ceremony for the 2200 MW power project is just a small step yet it is also a momentous landmark in the long and glorious history of Pak-China friendship and cooperation. “The enduring friendship that the two countries enjoy and the unwavering support that Pakistan has been getting from the Chinese Government at international forums continue to be a source of great strength for us. The commencement of this Project takes the strong relationship between our two nations to an even higher level,” the Prime Minister said. He further said that Pakistan-China’s mutually beneficial collaboration is spread over a wide range of projects in all geographical terrains, from the heights of the Karakoram to the waters of the Arabian Sea. He recalled that the contract for the first nuclear power plant, of Chinese origin, built at Chashma was signed by his government during his first term as Prime Minister of Pakistan. “This laid the foundations of a project-based cooperation between the two countries in the field of nuclear power,” he added. He said the government of Pakistan will finance the first project itself while Chinese corporations have also shown interest in setting up coal-based power plants in Gaddani, some 50 kilometers northwest of Karachi. Nawaz Sharif said he will encourage the Chinese companies, friends and brothers to invest in power projects in Pakistan and assured them that the Government of Pakistan will facilitate them in every way in these ventures./end