Pakistan approves 25-year energy Plan

Pakistan plans to increase its power generation capacity by 143,000 MW in the next 25 years to 162,590 MW from the current 19,540 MW to sustain higher GDP (gross domestic product) growth rate at 7-8 per cent, sources said. The 25-year Energy Security Plan (ESP 2005-2030) approved recently by President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz envisaged increase in nuclear power generation by 8,400 MW to 8,800 MW by the year 2030 from current nuclear power of 400 MW, sources in the planning commission said. The planning commission had told the president that unless power production capacity was increased by 143,000 MW in a phased manner over the next 25 years, it would not be possible for the country to sustain higher growth rates in the long run. The ESP envisaged the share of nuclear power to increase to 4.2 per cent of country's total energy mix from the current rate of 0.8 per cent. The current energy mix has highest 50 per cent share of gas, 30 per cent oil, 5.5 per cent coal, 12.7 per cent hydel, 0.8 per cent nuclear and zero per cent renewable energy. In overall terms, the government plans to add a total of 143,053 MW electric power by 2030, thus, the total generation capacity would reach 162,590 MW. This addition would include 8,400 MW of nuclear power, 26,200 MW hydel-power, 19,750 MW coal based energy, 9,520 MW f renewable energy, 1,360 MW oil based and 77,820 MW gas based power production.

By the year 2010, the country would have an additional power of 7,880 MW and hence total capacity would reach 27,420 MW. This additional power would not include any new plant in the nuclear sector, but hydel generation would increase by 1,260 MW, coal based increase of 900 MW and renewable energy increase of 700 MW. A minor increase of 160 MW would take place in the oil-based generation while gas based power production would increase by 4,860 MW. By the year 2015, the nuclear power production would increase by 900 MW, hydel-power by 7,570 MW, coal based power by 3,000 MW, renewable energy by 800 MW, oil based power by 300 MW and gas based power production by 7,550 MW. Total power production would increase by 20,120 MW during this period and total power generation capacity would reach 47,540 MW. In the next five years (2015-2020), the nuclear energy would increase by 1,500 MW, hydel-power would go up by 4,700 MW, coal based energy by 4,200 MW, renewable energy by 1,470 MW, oil-based power by another 300 MW and gas based energy by 12,560 MW. In these five years, the power production would increase by 24,730 MW and total capacity would reach 72,270 MW.

In the subsequent five-year plan (2020-2025), the nuclear power production would rise by 2,000 MW, hydel power by 5,600 MW, coal based power to go up by 5,400 MW and renewable energy would increase by 2,700 MW. Similarly, the oil based power generation would increase by 300 MW and gas based energy by 22,490 MW. In this way, a total increase of 38,490 MW would take place between the year 2020 to 2025 and total power generation capacity would touch 110,760 MW. In the next five years (2025-2030) the power production would increase by 51,830 MW and reach a total generation capacity of 162,590 MW. This would include an addition of 4,000 MW nuclear power, 7,070 MW hydel-power, coal based power 6,250 MW, renewable energy 3,850 MW, oil based power 300 MW and gas based energy 30,360 MW.