Pakistan’s solar generation overtakes nuclear power for first time

Profit reported that Pakistan's solar electricity output reached 36.3 terawatt-hours in 2025, edging ahead of nuclear for the first time, citing the World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR) 2026. Nuclear generation still rose 3.7% to a record 22.5 TWh over the same year. The report cautioned that the solar figure is substantially understated, because much private capacity is unregistered and never passes through the public grid.

Pakistan brought in over 58GW of Chinese solar panels between early 2017 and mid-2026, with about 40GW, or 69% of that total, arriving from 2024 onward. That surge put the country second only to the Netherlands among single-country buyers of Chinese panels, and ranked it as China's top buyer of solar panels in 2025. The report linked fast-spreading private solar systems to a fall in grid demand even as the economy grew.

Pakistan runs six reactors totalling 3,262 megawatts (MW), and China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) built all of them, including Kanupp-2 and Kanupp-3 near Karachi. Four of them sit at the Chashma plant, while another 1,000MW Hualong One unit, C-5, is being built and due for completion by 2030. Building work started on December 30, 2024, when the first concrete was poured. Citing the Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26, the report said loan repayments form a large part of nuclear generation costs.