Pakistan has urged the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to help facilitate its need to build more nuclear power plants in order to overcome an acute energy shortfall in the country and also to support its social and economic development.
Addressing IAEA’s annual general conference in Vienna, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) chairman Dr Ansar Parvez said that the IAEA should take larger initiatives to facilitate construction of nuclear power plants in member states on a non-discriminatory basis, to contribute to their socio-economic development, The Dawn reported.
Revealing that the Chashma-I and Karachi nuclear power projects were operational, while Chashma-II would be commissioned in 2011, he said the government wanted the PAEC to install 8,800MW of nuclear power capacity by 2030.
Pakistan was party to several international conventions, and had over 45 years of safe reactor operation experience, with a technical and engineering infrastructure for maintaining and providing technical support to the plants, Parvez noted.
He also pointed out that the country had set up its own safety and security infrastructure, including Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority, which was strong and independent.