Pakistan wins IAEA safeguards nod for 1,200 MW Chashma reactor as nuclear share hits 18 percent

By Staff Reporter

ISLAMABAD: The International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors has given unanimous approval to a safeguards agreement covering the fifth unit at Pakistan’s Chashma nuclear power plant, the country’s foreign ministry announced on Wednesday.

The decision, which clears the way for international oversight of the 1,200-megawatt pressurised water reactor, was described by Islamabad as fresh evidence of global confidence in Pakistan’s civilian nuclear programme. The unit, construction of which began recently in Punjab province, is scheduled to enter service by 2030 and will feed low-carbon electricity directly into the national grid.

In a statement released by the foreign office and shared on X by deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar, officials said the approval “reflects the international community’s continued confidence in Pakistan’s commitment to the peaceful use of nuclear energy and its adherence to global non-proliferation and safeguards obligations”.

Once operational, the new reactor “will provide a substantial source of low-carbon electricity to Pakistan’s national grid, contributing to energy security, climate goals and sustainable economic growth”, the statement added.

Pakistan currently runs six nuclear power stations with a combined installed capacity of 3,530 MW and an average capacity factor above 90%. Over the past year, nuclear generation accounted for 18.3% of the country’s total electricity mix and 34% of its low-carbon power. Officials noted that the country has accumulated more than 100 reactor-years of safe operation “in line with international standards”.

Dar described the development on X as “a key milestone for Pakistan’s energy future — underscoring global trust in our nuclear safety, security, non-proliferation, and peaceful nuclear programme”. The safeguards agreement falls under the IAEA’s item-specific arrangements, the only form of verification applied to the three non-parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty — India, Pakistan and Israel.

Under such agreements, the agency has the legal right and obligation to verify that nuclear material is not diverted to weapons or explosive devices. The move follows a meeting last month in Vienna between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi. According to a prime minister’s office handout, Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for the agency’s role in promoting the responsible use of nuclear technology.

During the same visit, an agreement was signed designating Lahore’s Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Oncology as an IAEA collaborating centre. Grossi welcomed the prime minister on X, writing that the visit “underscored Pakistan’s commitment to the safe and responsible use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes”. He had previously visited the Chashma site in February last year. Four CNP-300 reactors are already operating there.

Pakistan’s nuclear expansion comes as the country, which contributes less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, grapples with extreme climate vulnerability. Torrential rains and floods in 2022 and again in 2025 killed thousands and caused damage running into billions of dollars. The foreign office statement concluded by emphasising Pakistan’s “strong record of safe, secure and fully safeguarded nuclear power operations”, a point officials hope will bolster its case for further international cooperation in clean energy as it seeks to meet both growing electricity demand and climate adaptation needs.