The government is expected to give final approval to a landmark project for establishing first ''Nuclear Fuel Enrichment Plant'' (NFEP), aimed at indigenously enriching nuclear fuel to reduce the country''s dependency on imports, sources told Business Recorder on Saturday.
The project, costing Rs 13.7 billion along with other 26 other schemes, will come up for consideration of the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) in its meeting on Monday, October 22. The overall cost of 26 other development projects, which are on the agenda of the meeting, has been estimated at over Rs 132 billion.
The meeting will be presided over by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) in its meeting in July had approved the NFEP project, which is believed to be Pakistan''s first bid to reduce dependence of its nuclear power programme on imported fuel.
The price of nuclear fuel is increasing in the international market. The project is of national importance, and it is of utmost importance to help Pakistan attain the nuclear power generation target of over 8800 MW by 2030.
The cost of the project includes foreign exchange component of Rs 8.136 billion. The project will be funded through budgeted Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). The plant will be located near Chak Jhumra, Faisalabad, in Punjab. The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission is the sponsoring agency of the scheme.
The objective of the project is to install nuclear enrichment plant with capacity of 150 tons per annum, which would fuel the nuclear power generation reactors. The project would be completed in three phases. Each phase will be completed in five to six years in which one module will be set up having capacity to enrich about 150 tons per year feed natural (FN) gas, apart from Separative Power of 100 tons Separative Work Unit (SWU-kg/year).
Hence, at this pace, four modules will be set up by 2030. The government''s energy security action plan has envisaged increasing the share of nuclear power from 1 to 4.2 by installing 8880 MW nuclear power plants by 2030.
Apart from this, Ecnec will also consider the development scheme of oil and gas exploration in Balochistan-opening of activities in Tribal Areas (Revised). This is also one of the important projects to be considered. Pakistan is largely dependent on imported oil. Now, the government is finalising an agreement with Iran for gas import. The country is becoming more and more energy-deficient, which has necessitated to intensity oil and gas exploration activities.
Other projects in the energy sector include Chemical Processing Plant (CPP)-Phase-I Pakistan Nuclear Power Fuel Complex (PNPFC), Chashma Hydropower Power Project (184 MW) (2nd revision).
Addition of four 500 and 220 KV sub-station and associated T/L NTDC integrated system, 220 KV D/L from Chasma to Ludewala for interconnection of CHASHNUPP-2, 220 KV Rohri sub-station and associated T/L for dispersal of power from IPPs of Fuji foundation and Engro near Dahrki and Electrification of villages in district Dera Bugti in Balochistan province are other projects in the energy sector.
Projects in food and agriculture sector include Restructuring and Strengthening of National Agriculture Research System (Balochistan) and National Biosaline Agriculture Programme (NABSAP).
In water resources, the projects of Balochistan Small Scale Irrigation Project, Toiwar/Batozai Storage Dam Project, and Rehabilitation/ reconstruction of Bolan dam Project (Revised PC-I) will be considered by Ecnec.
In transport and communications sector, the projects are Construction of New Carriageway; National Highway N-65 Nuttal-Sibi section including Sibi Baypass (5km), Construction of a 41 km long link / service road between the Turbat - Hoshab stretch of the proposed Gwadar - Ratodero Motorway (M8) and adjoining villages, Rehabilitation and Improvement of 124 km DI Khan - Mughalkot Road (N-50), revised, Construction of Surab- Basima-Nag-Pangjur-Hoshab road N-85 (Total length 454 km), (revised), Fourth Highway Project; Construction of 507.53 km of Additional Carriageway and Provision of 153 km of overlay on the national highway N-5 (Revised), Paksat project (Phase-I) extension.
In devolution and area development the Linking of Nara Amazai and Bait Gali union councils of district Haripur with Kala Dhaka area district Mansehra including provision of Higher Education Opportunities for the Students of Balochistan and FATA (President directive) is also on the agenda of the meeting.
The schemes of ''Clean Drinking Water for All'' (CDWA) project (revised PC-I), Acquisition of land for establishment of engineering university at Islamabad in collaboration with foreign universities (HEC) (revised), Oceanographic Research Vessel for Coastal Waters and Establishment of Pak-China friendship Center and some other schemes will also be considered in the meeting.
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