Pakistan plans to generate electricity from the water discharged by one of its nuclear power plants. The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) Foundation has signed a contract to build Foundation Hydel Power Plant Unit-05 (FHPP-05), a 5MW hydropower plant at the outfall of the Chashma-5 Nuclear Power Plant. It is expected to begin generating power by September 2029.

Once operating, the plant is expected to supply about 30.66m kilowatt-hours of electricity a year to the national grid. That implies it would run at roughly 70% of its maximum capacity on average.

The contract was signed at PAEC's headquarters with a joint venture of China Ocean Engineering Construction Corporation, Ningbo Water Conservancy and Hydro Power Planning and Design Institute, and Habib Rafique Engineering. The project will be the foundation's fifth hydropower plant.

The project is intended to use the hydropower potential created by water flowing out of the nuclear plant. According to PAEC, this will make more efficient use of water resources and support sustainable electricity generation.

The new plant will be small compared with PAEC's existing operations. The commission's six nuclear power plants currently supply 3,530MW to the grid, which PAEC describes as clean and low-cost electricity. FHPP-05 will add 5MW and expand the foundation's renewable-energy portfolio.

Its contribution to Pakistan's electricity supply will therefore be modest. However, it shows how existing power infrastructure can be used to produce additional electricity.