Pak-China Deal To Build Two New Nuclear Reactors: Some Questions

by Qurratulain Akhtar on October 22, 2008

According to Wall Street Journal, “Pakistan has secured China’s help to build two new nuclear-power reactors”. This is aimed to produce additional 680 megawatts of power an year. The deal is in fact a good step especially when we’ve almost drowned economy with round $4.5 billions financing gap, but I found the structural element missing from the whole scenario.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s statement that it would ALSO HELP RESTORING THE BALANCE OF POWER IN THE SOUTH ASIAN REGION seems very odd at this very moment. So first question I’ve in mind is, forget Qureshi saab, and being a common Pakistani what actually we need to maintain… balance of power or meet the energy crisis?

Some other questions are:

  • Did we really need this deal, i.e. don’t we have hydropower generation option, that may also be cost effective?
  • After having deficiency of foreign exchange reserves and decision to devalue the currency, is it a wise step to knock at IMF’s doors right now?

You’ll find a lot more questions if you’ve read the whole details of the deal, that I couldn’t. But, I’ll appreciate if anyone can help me knowing the answers of questions I’m stuck at!

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Pak-China Deal To Build Two New Nuclear Reactors: Some Questions | Tea Break
10.22.08 at 7:21 pm

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

1 M Junaid Khan 10.22.08 at 6:49 pm

Hydropower is a very cheap and the best alternative but somehow due to provincial politics, we try to shy away from that option. I don’t understand how can a poor country like Pakistan afford to invest so much in nuclear power plants when it is wasting most of its water resources?

2 Aseem Khan 10.23.08 at 6:19 pm

simple. because have u heard of Indo-US nuclear deal? don’t know about u, i don’t care, but Pakistan has heard about it. So what does Pakistan do when India does something before it? Yes: FOLLOW. US has said a strong NO, so run to CHINA. India launches CHANDRYAAN, so next day Pakistan talks about China launching PakSat in 2010 (although both r not related, one is a moon probe, the other is satelite launching on other people’s rocket, something India did in the 70s). LOL We r making a fool of ourselfs. We r left with 3 Bil and talking about building nuclear power plants, upgrading F16s, buying some 30 yr old US frigate.. good isn’t it? No i’m not against defence spending, so long it’s fruitful, like our Agosta subs. I’m not in for buying 30 yr old ships and refurbished F16s that are to be replaced by US themselves! The best part is, even China buys CANDU and VVER reactors from Canada and Russia for energy production coz their current reactors are not as efficient (and possibly safe) as western ones. Again we are buying Chinese junk. Pakistan ZINDABAD lol

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