Nuclear power output rises 4pc to record high

According to Dawn, nuclear electricity generation in Pakistan rose 3.7 per cent in 2025 to a record 22.5 terawatt-hours (TWh), up from 21.7 TWh a year earlier. The figures come from the World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR) 2026. Solar output grew faster and reached 36.3 TWh, overtaking nuclear for the first time, though the report says that number understates actual output.

Pakistan runs six reactors with a combined operating capacity of 3,262MW, all built by the China National Nuclear Corporation. Citing the Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26, the WNISR notes that debt repayment forms a notable share of nuclear generation costs, mainly for the K-2 and K-3 units that came online in 2022 and 2023. A further 1,000MW reactor, C-5, is being built at Chashma and is expected to be completed by 2030.

On solar, the report says Pakistan imported more than 58GW of panels from China between 2017 and mid-2026, with 40GW, or 69pc, arriving in the last two and a half years. That has made Pakistan the second-largest single-country import market after the Netherlands. Many of these installations are private and unregistered, and the report ties them to self-consumption that bypasses the public grid.