Pakistan currently runs six nuclear power reactors at two different locations, producing 10% of the nation’s total electricity and almost 25% of its low-carbon electricity.
For the benefit of the nation and its neighbors, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the IAEA will intensify their cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology, especially in agriculture and medicine.
That was the result of Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi’s recent two-day visit to Pakistan, during which he met with the country’s leaders, including the Prime Minister and Foreign Ministers, and visited numerous nuclear facilities across the nation, some of which he also officially opened.
During his first meeting, Mr. Grossi met with the prime minister. The two discussed how Pakistan is benefiting from nuclear science and IAEA assistance, as well as the worsening effects of climate change on the nation.
The IAEA and FAO developed an emergency support package to assist Pakistan in applying nuclear science to better understand the flood’s impact on soils, crops, and the potential spread of animal and zoonotic diseases.
The Prime Minister expressed his desire to strengthen collaboration with the IAEA in agriculture and medicine and his support for the Agency’s efforts to promote peace and development worldwide.
The two also discussed nuclear safety and security in Ukraine, where Mr. Grossi is championing efforts to establish a protection zone around the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.
Mr. Grossi met with the Foreign Minister to discuss opportunities for peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology in Pakistan. He also met with the Minister of Planning and Development to discuss the role of nuclear applications in addressing Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change.
Mr. Grossi also met with Pakistani fellows of the IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Program to help build gender-balanced capacities in the nuclear sector.
Pakistan currently runs six nuclear power reactors at two different locations, producing 10% of the nation’s total electricity and almost 25% of its low-carbon electricity. Mr. Grossi travelled to one of those locations, the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant, which is located 250 kilometres south of Islamabad.
Mr. Grossi stressed the significance of managing spent fuel safely and securely during the opening of the new spent fuel dry storage facility at the facility.
The Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH), a collaborator with the IAEA on projects involving water analysis, human health, and nutrition, welcomed Mr. Grossi. Mr. Grossi opened a dosimetry laboratory at PINSTECH.
Mr. Grossi also paid a visit to the Pakistan Centre of Excellence in Nuclear Security (PCENS), noting his admiration for the facility’s high calibre and his eagerness for future collaboration.
Mr. Grossi opened the Cyberknife, a brand-new cancer treatment facility at the Nuclear Medicine, Oncology, and Radiotherapy Institute in Islamabad, which he described as a turning point for the nation.
By serving as a regional hub for Rays of Hope, an IAEA initiative aimed at increasing access to cancer care in low- and middle-income countries by assisting in the introduction and improvement of radiation medicine capacities and the development of the cancer care workforce, he claimed Pakistan would be able to support its neighbors in terms of access to cancer treatments.
Mr. Grossi designated the Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB) as an IAEA Collaborating Center in agriculture and biotechnology during a visit to Faisalabad. In a special ceremony, Mr. Grossi planted a Sago Palm at the location and discussed the IAEA’s partnership with the facility in creating cotton varieties that are resistant to climate change.
As part of the IAEA’s ZODIAC initiative to fight zoonotic diseases and potential pandemics, NIAB is also a national laboratory.
When Mr. Grossi visited the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority and met with its Chairman, Faizan Mansoor, he also took a tour of another IAEA Collaborating Center, the National Institute of Safety and Security. He also had the honor of opening Islamabad’s National Radiation Emergency Coordination Center (NRECC).
Mr. Grossi had an insightful conversation with the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) during his visit to the organization’s headquarters about the comprehensive and well-organized nature of the nation’s peaceful nuclear program.
Raja Ali Raza Anwar, the chairman of PAEC, invited Mr. Grossi to visit Pakistan, and he thanked him for Pakistan’s hospitality over the course of the two days.
The Director General wrapped up his trip to Islamabad with a seminar on reducing the effects of climate change, during which he stressed the IAEA’s assistance to nations that are vulnerable to the effects of climate change in their uses of nuclear science and technology to combat the problem.