ISLAMABAD – Pakistan is suffering from smog since last two years, which hadoverwhelmed the province of Punjab in the course of winter season. Due tothis phenomenon, flight operations were suspended and serious health issueswere on the rise. Therefore, Pakistan has decided to adopt China’s model ofelectricity generation to counter the damages.
Now, what exactly is China’s model? China, threatened by smog and wastedcapacity, is abandoning plans to build more than 100 coal-fired powerplants. This is a known fact that electricity generated from fossil fuelsis the biggest contributor to greenhouse gases. These greenhouse gases notonly lead to global warming but also pollution from thermal plants causethe haze of smog that has much of Punjab has suffered this winter.
The question that arises here is how Pakistan can get rid of its smogproblem without compromising its energy-related ventures. What are thepossible options Pakistan can utilize by adopting China Model?
The answers require a greater understanding of Pakistan’s energyrequirements and China’s adoption of renewable energy options at massivescales.
China is now the new global leader by expressing its endeavours for fallingcoal consumption while shifting to nuclear and renewable energy. Therefore,the use of nuclear energy has emerged as a solution to cope with climatechange and pollution in China.
One of the most efficient and reliable sources of energy is nuclear power.Nuclear is a clean and environment-friendly source of energy and the worldis increasing its reliance on this form of power generation.
Energy resources are imperative for the economic growth of any country. Inthis sense, the generation of nuclear power is one of the finest ways toupkeep a country’s energy security vis-à-vis the fight against globalclimate change.
Nuclear energy makes sense when Pakistan has experience in operatingnuclear technology, spanning over four decades and it has the qualifiedmanpower and professionals.
In the last one year, Pakistan has connected its fourth and fifth nuclearpower plants (Chashma-3 and 4) to the national grid. Meanwhile,construction of two other large nuclear power plants of 1,100 MWe each nearKarachi, is proceeding on schedule.
The Chairman, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), Muhammad Naeem,addressed the sixty-first annual general conference of the InternationalAtomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and indicated his country’s commitment toutilize maximum benefits from the peaceful applications of nuclear energy.
He further elaborated that Pakistan has a vision of achieving up to 8,800MW by the year 2030 through nuclear power generation.
After the Fukushima nuclear disaster due to the unprecedented tsunami, thesafety of nuclear facilities has turned into a hot debate. Fears shown bysome quarters after the nuclear accident in Japan about the safety ofnuclear installations in Pakistan do not correspond to the realities on theground.
Security and safety have been the hallmarks of the nuclear industry inPakistan. The IAEA and PAEC have comprehensively studied the circumstancesthat led to the Fukushima failure and the measures taken by Japan toaddress the crisis and drawn conclusions on how to improve the safety ofnuclear power plants in Pakistan.
However, global support is needed as Pakistan is using this viable sourceto enhance its energy mix and cope with current energy crisis whileremaining conscious to the threat of global warming.
Right after the official announcement of Indo-US nuclear deal in July 2005,Islamabad has frequently asked for a similar nuclear deal, one that allowsit to exercise the nuclear trade with all members of the Nuclear SuppliersGroups (NSG).
Pakistan has created a firm case for the transfer of civil nucleartechnology from Western countries for its energy needs, but Westerncountries support US nuclear double standards toward the region.
It also validates the fact that the US supports a nuclear India, butobjects to a nuclear Pakistan that undermines Islamabad’s efforts to fightagainst climate change.
All alternatives must be taken into account to contest the mounting energydeficiency and meet future demands with respect to climate change.
Pakistan is a pioneer developing country in using nuclear technology forproducing electrical energy. And its sustained safety and security recordurges world assistance in nuclear energy production.
Nuclear power is an important part of our domestic energy mix.
Written by: Hasan Ehtisham