Solar has overtaken nuclear to become the country’s largest source of electricity in 2025, according to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2026. Pakistan solar power generation reached an estimated 36.3 terawatt-hours (TWh) that year. That figure exceeds nuclear output by 61 percent. Nuclear production still climbed 3.7 percent to a record 22.5 TWh, up from 21.7 TWh in 2024.

However, the report says solar generation may still be higher than estimates show. A large amount of privately installed capacity operates behind the meter and never feeds the public grid. Meanwhile, private, unregistered installations have enabled significant self-consumption. This helps explain a decline in recorded power consumption despite economic growth.

Pakistan operates six nuclear reactors with a combined net capacity of around 3.3 gigawatts. China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) built all six, including K-2 and K-3 near Karachi. Four CNP-300 reactors at the Chashma Nuclear Power Generating Station complete the fleet. Pakistan also reached its highest-ever nuclear production in 2025.

The nuclear fleet is also expanding. CNNC is building the 1,000 MW Chashma-5 reactor, and construction formally started in December 2024. The project should finish by 2030.

Moreover, the report calls C-5 China’s only ongoing nuclear new-build project abroad. It is also one of only two non-Russian nuclear construction starts outside China during 2020-2025.

However, solar expansion has moved far faster. Pakistan imported more than 58 GW of solar panels from China between the beginning of 2017 and mid-2026. Around 40 GW, or 69 percent, arrived during the two and a half years from 2024 to mid-2026. As a result, Pakistan became China’s second-largest single-country solar panel market after the Netherlands.

The report estimates that solar generation grew 85 percent in 2025, giving solar a 21.6 percent share of total gross electricity generation. Pakistan also installed about twice as much solar capacity in five years as France did in a decade.

While solar surged, the report also highlighted the financial burden of newer nuclear plants. The Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26 noted that debt repayment makes up a significant part of nuclear electricity costs, mainly due to K-2 and K-3. Their 12-year debt repayment period covers only 20 percent of their estimated 60-year economic lifetime. Still, Pakistan solar power now leads the country’s electricity mix.