PM Nawaz inaugurates Chashma III nuclear power plant

Project will add 340 megawatts of electricity to national power grid

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday inaugurated Chashma III nuclear power plant in Mianwali.

The project will add 340 megawatts of electricity to the national power grid. It is a joint collaboration of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and China National Nuclear Corporation and was initiated following the successful operation of Chashma-I and Chashma-II projects.

Addressing the ceremony, Nawaz said the politics of sit-ins will lead the country to nowhere and those doing so must refrain from it. “Have mercy on this nation, your sit-ins are proving destructive for this country,” the premier said in a thinly veiled reference to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protests against corruption in the wake of Panama Papers leaks.

The premier reiterated that electricity loadshedding will be eliminated as well as become affordable by 2018 which will also help decline the prices of commodities.



He also called for holding previous governments accountable for plunging the country into darkness.

Nawaz said that Chashma power plants were providing 600 megawatts of power to the country. "Our farmers, industrialists and ultimately the country will reap the benefits of affordable electricity," he added.

"Further, our products will be sold at cheaper prices in the country and in global markets benefiting the commoners." The premier further said that Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves, foreign direct investment will also increase while inflation will decrease and unemployment would be eliminated." Establishing of new communication routes in the meantime will bring the provinces closer, he added.

The project will also contribute to the economic development of the country by supplying energy to industrial and commercial sectors.

Chashma IV nuclear power plant, which will be completed by 2017, and Karachi Nuclear Power Projects K-2 and K-3 will add a total of 8,800 megawatts by 2030 as envisaged by the atomic energy commission.

All nuclear power projects were approved by Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority for the highest nuclear safety standards in accordance with International Atomic Energy Agency agreements.



Earlier on December 15, the prime minister announced to eliminate loadshedding by 2018, saying power outages have already been overcome for industries.

“I am confident that the government will be able to eliminate loadshedding in 2018 so people are finally relieved of the suffering once and for all,” the premier said while addressing a gathering. He added that not only will loadshedding come to an end but will also become cheap and accessible for the masses.

PM Nawaz said that previous governments should be inquired as to why loadshedding was allowed to surface in the first place which caused misery for the masses.

Under the new supply management plan for 2016-18 approved by the cabinet committee on August 30, electricity outages would be brought down in urban areas from an average of six hours to three hours per day and in rural areas from eight hours to four hours per day from November.