Pakistan and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have signed a safeguards agreement for the 1,200 MWe Chashma 5 (C-5) nuclear power plant. The agreement was signed at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna by Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) Chairman Dr Raja Ali Raza Anwar and IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, on the sidelines of the 70th IAEA General Conference. This official signing follows unanimous approval of the safeguards by the IAEA Board of Governors in March.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by Shan Zhongde, Chairman of the China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA), highlighting China’s central role in constructing the pressurised water reactor. The project has progressed rapidly—with its reactor building dome completed ahead of schedule—and is now scheduled for commissioning in 2028.
First concrete for the unit was poured in December 2024. A ceremonial launch attended by Chinese and Pakistani officials followed in early January 2025. The unit will have a HPR1000 (Hualong One) design, which features both active and passive safety systems and a double-shell containment structure. The project is being built by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and its subsidiary, CNNC China Zhongyuan Engineering Corp, under a cooperation agreement with the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC). The project is estimated to cost approximately $4.8bn, largely financed through Chinese credit.
Chashma 5 will be Pakistan’s largest nuclear plant. The cooperation agreement for the reactor, was signed with China in 2017. The groundbreaking ceremony took place in July 2023. The Chashma site at Mianwali in Punjab already hosts four operating Chinese-supplied CNP-300 PWRs. Pakistan currently operates six nuclear power units with a combined installed capacity of 3,530 Mwe. These plants have maintained an average capacity factor exceeding 90% with more than 100 reactor-years of operational experience.
In line with the IAEA’s statute, states accept safeguards through the conclusion of such agreements with the agency. Safeguards are implemented in the three states that are not party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty – India, Pakistan and Israel. They are based on item-specific agreements concluded with the Agency.
