The government is reported to be pursuing a plan for the acquisition of more nuclear power units with a new vigour. According to a report appearing in this paper the other day, feasibility reports for the setting up of six nuclear power plants have already been prepared and approved at a cost of Rs 150 million to generate 8,800 megawatts of electricity by 2030.
Go-ahead has also been given to the setting up of a nuclear fuel enrichment plant worth Rs 13.708 billion, including a foreign exchange component of Rs 8.136 billion. The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission has already selected sites for the six power projects.
These are to be located at Qadirabad-Balloki Link Canal near Qadirabad Headworks, Dera Ghazi Khan Canal near Taunsa Barrage, Taunsa-Punjnad Canal near Multan, Nara Canal near Sukkur, Pat Feeder Canal near Guddu, and River Kabul near Naushehra.
Apparently, China, which earlier helped this country with the setting up of the two nuclear power plants, Chashma 1&11, is ready to extend assistance for the newer projects as well. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, who visited China a couple of months ago, had some positive recommendations to make in his report on the subject. Said he, "We must make renewed efforts for acquisition of 1000 MW nuclear power plants and indigenous fabrication of 300 MW nuclear power plants with Chinese assistance."
Given the current power crisis and the projected demand increases in the years ahead, it makes sense for Pakistan to go for the nuclear power option in a big way. The issue, though, has its own share of pros and cons. What is particularly important from our perspective is the relatively cheaper cost of production of nuclear power.
Also, nuclear power is generally publicised as a cleaner source of energy. Critics, however, point to the grave consequences of nuclear accidents. Equally, serious is the problem of nuclear waste disposal. From the standpoint of environmentalists, nuclear technology for power production is as unclean and potentially dangerous to human well being as indiscriminate use of fossil fuels has been to the health of our planet.
Yet barring some exceptions such as Germany, which has decided to phase out its existing nuclear plants, countries like Britain and US are inclined to make increased use of nuclear energy. Which lends at least two good arguments to countries like Pakistan to resort to the same option.
One is the common reasoning often used in the context of global warming: that it would not be fair for the developed countries, especially the world's biggest polluter, the US, to ask India and China to avoid using fossil fuels to energise their growing economic activity. By the same token, if it is acceptable for the developed countries to produce nuclear power, the same should hold good for developing countries like Pakistan.
So far as the environmental hazards are concerned, some make a convincing resort to the old adage of necessity being the mother of invention. The necessity to use nuclear power, they argue, may some day lead to the discovery of safe disposal of nuclear waste. In the meantime, Pakistan should focus on doing what it needs to do to meet its energy requirements.
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