Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) Dr. Ansar Parvez has said PAEC is planning to expand its nuclear power programme to overcome energy crisis in the country.
He was addressing the 57th International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference in Vienna.
Dr. Ansar said overcoming the energy crisis is an issue of the highest priority for our nation. He said with our very limited accessible conventional energy sources, nuclear power has to form an integral part of our energy portfolio.
He said that Pakistan had a very productive and mutually beneficial relationship with IAEA and wanted to further deepen this cooperation.
The Chairman PAEC said, in Pakistan we are using nuclear technology in many areas that include cancer diagnosis and treatment, agriculture, food preservation, water management and industry, but more importantly, we are committed to harnessing nuclear energy for the generation of electrical power which is directly needed for the development of the country.
Dr. Parvez said Pakistan had a long history of safe operation of nuclear power plants as its first nuclear power plant became operative forty years ago.
He informed the Conference that two more nuclear power units are under construction that might be connected to the national grid by 2016.