China National Nuclear <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/be-good-audience-china-state-media-says-after-india-skips-obor-15593">Corporation (CNNC) and the Pakistan</a> Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) have signed an agreement to construct a nuclear reactor in Punjab province.

World Nuclear News which is supported by industry lobby World Nuclear Association said<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-aims-global-salience-in-invoking-the-great-silk-road-through-obor-15881"> CNNC will build a &quot;one-million-kilowatt-class</a> nuclear power unit with HPR1000 technology&quot; at the Chashma nuclear power plant in Pakistan.

The nuclear reactor will be the seventh nuclear power unit that China will be exporting to Pakistan and the third HPR1000, World Nuclear News said.

The Chinese-designed HPR1000 Hualong One reactor design is under construction in China, at Fuqing units 5 and 6 and Fangchenggang units 3 and 4, the nuclear news site reported, adding,&quot;the first Hualong One unit, Fuqing 5, is expected to start in 2019, with Fangchenggang 3 to follow the same year, and the other two units in 2020.&quot;

World Nuclear News said Chashma nuclear plant already has &quot;four Chinese-built CNP-300 units&quot;, while &quot;two HPR1000 units are under construction at Pakistan&#39;s Karachi nuclear power plant.&quot;

The HPR1000 is set to be constructed at Bradwell in England, the nuclear news site said. Britain&#39;s nuclear regulator is conducting a Generic Design Assessment, which is expected to take about five years, Reuters reported.

PAEC chairman Muhammad Naeem had told Reuters PAEC was in the final stages of awarding contracts for Chasmah, which would take Pakistan&#39;s nuclear capacity to about 5,000 MW when it is finished.&nbsp;

Naeem said Pakistan wanted to build at least 3-4 more big nuclear reactors by 2030.

China and Pakistan have already inked six pacts worth $50 billion to secure China-Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC), including one on building an airport at the strategic Gwadar port city.

The pacts deal with the increasing bilateral cooperation within the framework of China&#39;s ambitious One Belt, One Road(OBOR) initiative.

China is also set to upgrade the main railway track between Karachi and Peshawar - referred to as ML-1 or Main Line-1.

China and Pakistan have also signed an MoU to establish a dry port in Havelian&nbsp;in Abbottabad district.

The nuclear reactor will be the seventh nuclear power unit that China will exporting to Pakistan and the third HPR1000, World Nuclear News said.

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) have signed an agreement to construct a nuclear reactor in Punjab province. World Nuclear News which is supported by industry lobby World Nuclear Association said CNNC will build a "one-million-kilowatt-class nuclear power unit with HPR1000 technology" at the Chashma nuclear power plant in Pakistan. The nuclear reactor will be the seventh nuclear power unit that China will be exporting to Pakistan and the third HPR1000, World Nuclear News said. The Chinese-designed HPR1000 Hualong One reactor design is under construction in China, at Fuqing units 5 and 6 and Fangchenggang units 3 and 4, the nuclear news site reported, adding,"the first Hualong One unit, Fuqing 5, is expected to start in 2019, with Fangchenggang 3 to follow the same year, and the other two units in 2020." World Nuclear News said Chashma nuclear plant already has "four Chinese-built CNP-300 units", while "two HPR1000 units are under construction at Pakistan's Karachi nuclear power plant." The HPR1000 is set to be constructed at Bradwell in England, the nuclear news site said. Britain's nuclear regulator is conducting a Generic Design Assessment, which is expected to take about five years, Reuters reported. PAEC chairman Muhammad Naeem had told Reuters PAEC was in the final stages of awarding contracts for Chasmah, which would take Pakistan's nuclear capacity to about 5,000 MW when it is finished. Naeem said Pakistan wanted to build at least 3-4 more big nuclear reactors by 2030. China and Pakistan have already inked six pacts worth $50 billion to secure China-Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC), including one on building an airport at the strategic Gwadar port city. The pacts deal with the increasing bilateral cooperation within the framework of China's ambitious One Belt, One Road(OBOR) initiative. China is also set to upgrade the main railway track between Karachi and Peshawar - referred to as ML-1 or Main Line-1. China and Pakistan have also signed an MoU to establish a dry port in Havelian in Abbottabad district.

China to build new nuclear reactor in Pakistan: Report

Pakistan has turned down<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/china-pakistan-ink-6-pacts-ahead-of-obor-summit-xi-says-ties-priority-15550"> China&#39;s offer of assistance on the Diamer-Bhasha dam </a>after Beijing placed strict conditions including ownership of the project, a leading Pakistan daily reported.

&ldquo;Chinese conditions for <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/all-countries-should-respect-each-others-sovereignty-chinas-xi-at-obor-15564">financing the Diamer-Bhasha Dam were not doable</a> and against our interests,&rdquo; Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) Chairman Muzammil Hussain told reporters.

China tried to push the Diamer-Bhasha dam under the&nbsp;China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework but it was rejected by Pakistan. China was&nbsp;reportedly ready to fund the $14 billion project.

The minister said the Chinese conditions were about &quot;taking ownership of the project, operation and maintenance cost and securitisation of the Diamer-Bhasha project&quot;, while adding China pledged another operational dam, Pakistan&#39;s Express Tribune reported.

&quot;These conditions were unacceptable,&quot; the minister said.

Pakistan has been facing problems financing the Diamer-Bhasha dam after protests from India and refusal by World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) to fund its construction. Pakistan had decided to build a reservoir instead but it has run into delays, reports said.

China and Pakistan have signed six pacts to boost cooperation on the $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, including one on building an airport at the strategic Gwadar port city.

In May, ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif had&nbsp;attended a presentation made by China&#39;s National Energy Administration (NEA) on the construction of Bhasha Dam, a project which he said is of critical importance for the future of Pakistan.

Pakistani media reported that Chinese companies had &quot;conducted survey and studies&quot;&nbsp;on the North Indus Cascade project.

The report said China&#39;s interest in providing $50 billion to fund the project could generate 40,000 MW hydroelectricity which the country desperately needs due to its depleting water resources.

China&#39;s ambitious One Belt, One Road initiative(OBOR) seeks to link road and waterways throughout Asia spanning east and west, with Pakistan being the pivotal point of trade.

China tried to push the Diamer-Bhasha dam under the?China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework but it was rejected by Pakistan.

Pakistan has turned down China's offer of assistance on the Diamer-Bhasha dam after Beijing placed strict conditions including ownership of the project, a leading Pakistan daily reported. “Chinese conditions for financing the Diamer-Bhasha Dam were not doable and against our interests,” Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) Chairman Muzammil Hussain told reporters. China tried to push the Diamer-Bhasha dam under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework but it was rejected by Pakistan. China was reportedly ready to fund the $14 billion project. The minister said the Chinese conditions were about "taking ownership of the project, operation and maintenance cost and securitisation of the Diamer-Bhasha project", while adding China pledged another operational dam, Pakistan's Express Tribune reported. "These conditions were unacceptable," the minister said. Pakistan has been facing problems financing the Diamer-Bhasha dam after protests from India and refusal by World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) to fund its construction. Pakistan had decided to build a reservoir instead but it has run into delays, reports said. China and Pakistan have signed six pacts to boost cooperation on the $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, including one on building an airport at the strategic Gwadar port city. In May, ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif had attended a presentation made by China's National Energy Administration (NEA) on the construction of Bhasha Dam, a project which he said is of critical importance for the future of Pakistan. Pakistani media reported that Chinese companies had "conducted survey and studies" on the North Indus Cascade project. The report said China's interest in providing $50 billion to fund the project could generate 40,000 MW hydroelectricity which the country desperately needs due to its depleting water resources. China's ambitious One Belt, One Road initiative(OBOR) seeks to link road and waterways throughout Asia spanning east and west, with Pakistan being the pivotal point of trade.

Pakistan turns down China's bid to include Diamer-Bhasha dam in CPEC

&nbsp;

By Dr. Amiera Sawas &amp;&nbsp;<a href="http://theconversation.com/profiles/dr-nausheen-h-anwar-388151" rel="author">Dr. Nausheen H. Anwar</a>*

In Pakistan, there&rsquo;s no topic hotter than the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-china-and-pakistans-coal-romance-wheres-the-love-for-the-climate-74772" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">a multi-billion dollar bilateral development project</a> that will officials <a href="http://www.na.gov.pk/uploads/documents/1432624359_362.pdf" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">promised</a> in 2015, &ldquo;usher in an era of unprecedented progress and prosperity&rdquo;.

The CPEC is not only Pakistan&rsquo;s first big injection of <a href="https://tribune.com.pk/story/1328206/foreign-direct-investment-amounts-1-16b-7mfy17-10/">foreign direct investment in a while</a>, its focus on energy development is also desperately needed in a country that has suffered <a href="http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&amp;task=view&amp;id=31&amp;Itemid=74&amp;jumival=10391">worsening energy shortages</a> for two decades.

With renewables constituting much of the US$33 billion earmarked for energy, the CPEC is also set to make Pakistan <a href="http://www4.unfccc.int/Submissions/INDC/Published%20Documents/Pakistan/1/Pak-INDC.pdf">a global player in meeting its Paris agreement commitments</a> to fight climate change. And for its bulging, skilled <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1286221">youth population</a>, development promises something truly critical: jobs, jobs, jobs.

<figure class="align-center "><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/178076/width754/file-20170713-2491-yp7vm4.JPG" />
<figcaption>
To mitigate possible hostility from local residents, the government set up a public consultation in Sindh.

The land and the losers
</figcaption>
</figure>

At least, that&rsquo;s the theory. Not everyone sees the changes wrought by the CPEC so positively.

On July 13, the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency, in the southern province of Sindh, held a consultation with locals concerned about coal expansion in Ranjho Noon, Thar, a desert region shared with India&rsquo;s Rajasthan state.

The meeting concerned the fourth of 13 planned blocks of CPEC coal projects in Thar, and where serious resistance has already greeted Block 2, now underway.

<a href="http://www.paccsresearch.org.uk/gendered-politics-dispossession-pakistan/">Based on our fieldwork with those being impacted</a> by CPEC-funded energy projects, growing citizen mobilisation in Sindh and Punjab may be turning into a political problem for Pakistan.

Projects planned for some of <a href="http://www.pk.undp.org/content/pakistan/en/home/presscenter/pressreleases/2016/06/20/pakistan-s-new-poverty-index-reveals-that-4-out-of-10-pakistanis-live-in-multidimensional-poverty.html">the poorest rural areas</a>, including one of the world&rsquo;s biggest solar parks (<a href="https://www.qasolar.com/">Qaid-e-Azam park</a>, in Punjab) and <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-china-and-pakistans-coal-romance-wheres-the-love-for-the-climate-74772">coal and gas exploration</a> in Thar (Sindh) promise prosperity through infrastructural progress, livelihood opportunities and climate resilience.

But while CPEC projects are already benefiting the national economy, the boon is less assured for those living in the project regions. To start with, for such projects, you need land and lots of it. Many of the residents in CPEC target areas are homesteaders, pastoralists and small business owners who hold customary land rights, inherited over decades or centuries.

Often, community members have no official deed to their property or to the common grazing land their livelihoods depend on. Without official papers, their land is seen as government-owned, and ripe for the taking.

The United Nations&rsquo; <a href="http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/DRIPS_en.pdf">Free, Prior and Informed Consent</a> norm is meant to keep people facing such situations, whether in Pakistan or Bolivia, from <a href="https://theconversation.com/global/topics/indigenous-land-rights-15000">being dispossessed and displaced</a>. But in Pakistan, where the CPEC is helping the economy <a href="http://www.valuewalk.com/2017/05/pakistan-economy-cpec/">revive from stagnation</a>, development aid has long been <a href="https://tribune.com.pk/story/1120372/politics-us-aid-pakistan/">politicised</a>, and proper consultation and compensation will be difficult to ensure.

<figure class="align-center "><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/177881/width754/file-20170712-19670-520twr.jpg" />
<figcaption>
A CPEC road in Tharparkar District, Sindh.

We found that, so far, many of the initiatives have been carried out without free, prior and informed consent, creating unnecessary tensions between environmental projects and local people and raising concerns about <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wcc.409/full">maladaptation</a> as the country progress towards its <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/explainer-what-are-intended-nationally-determined-contributions">Nationally Determined Contributions</a> climate plan.
</figcaption>
</figure>

For example, one farmer in Muzaffargarh, Punjab, told us that his community had seen displacement, severe pollution and a surge in waterborne diseases since a geothermal project started there in 1994.

Nor did the community receive promised benefits, such as electricity and employment. In these mega-projects, jobs in construction, driving, engineering and especially management seem rarely to be offered to locals. Instead, Pakistanis from all over the country are brought in to fill them.

The farmer told us about ongoing resistance to a planned CPEC project that the government had thus far failed to heed. At this point, he said, they should expect violent opposition.

&ldquo;We will stand and fight,&rdquo; he warned. &ldquo;We are a hundred thousand people, not just a few thousand.&rdquo;

Lower Punjab has seen a disproportionate amount of energy development in recent years, <a href="http://pakchina.pk/energy-sector-projects-cpec/">housing six major energy plants within a 28-kilometre radius</a>. The region is inhabited by the <a href="http://pu.edu.pk/images/journal/pols/pdf-files/Rehana%20-%20Gulshan_V21_Issue1_2014.pdf">Seraiki population</a>, a marginalised ethnic group that is all but invisible to the state.

Even when inhabitants are not directly displaced by infrastructure projects, their livelihoods are often endangered. Livestock routes are truncated by construction; streams and rivers are suddenly polluted.

One woman from Sindh reported that five pipelines had been run through her village, and that construction noise had become unbearable.

&ldquo;They even blocked our access to hospitals&rdquo;, she said, also lamenting that when strange men appeared in the fields, &ldquo;we must cover our faces&rdquo;.

Such incursions feel like a threat to local culture, particularly regarding gender norms. A man from the same village complained that while local men are not recruited as labourers, developers have sought to train women as drivers.

&ldquo;We told them we won&rsquo;t allow our women to do this!&rdquo; he said with disbelief. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t trust [the developers]&rdquo;.

The net result for women is that their lives have now become more restricted, both by ongoing construction and by the male response to it.

Fear and anxiety

Many Pakistanis we spoke with in both Punjab and Sindh perceive CPEC development as just another form of oppression: a way to grab land and resources, further marginalising already vulnerable populations.

The CPEC agreement was designed primarily to ensure <a href="https://theconversation.com/after-isis-killings-in-pakistan-china-blames-the-victims-79787">the security of Chinese investments and citizens</a>. To keep the <a href="http://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/350311-Govt-mulls-using-drones-for-CPEC-security">8,000-plus Chinese CPEC workers in Pakistan</a> safe, the government is securing concerned areas using invasive monitoring tools such as internet surveillance, stop-and-search policing and <a href="http://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/396641-CPEC-project-Jammers-to-be-installed-for-Chinese-">phone jammers</a>.

<figure class="align-center "><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/177883/width754/file-20170712-19642-ibzjsc.JPG" />
<figcaption>
The Qaid-e-Azam plant in Punjab, the biggest solar project in the world.

No such steps ensure Pakistani citizens&rsquo; well-being. The result of all this change, anxiety and resentment is a <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1312937">burgeoning resistance</a>.
</figcaption>
</figure>

In February 2017, representatives from 12 Sindhi villages affected by the Gorano Dam, a reservoir intended to collect the waste water from coal and gas exploration, held a &ldquo;patriotic&rdquo; protest calling for the dam to be relocated to prevent poisoning local people and their livestock.

&ldquo;No one is listening to us,&rdquo; one of the protest&rsquo;s coordinators told us. &ldquo;Our basic rights are being snatched.&rdquo;

He estimated that 15,000 people, 2,000 animals and 200,000 trees depended on the land now designated for destruction, as well as &ldquo;fresh-water wells [and] our ancestors&rsquo; graveyard&rdquo;.

If Pakistan&rsquo;s government and CPEC developers continue to ignore these citizens, anxieties will fester. Already, discontent around the CPEC is being used by <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1312937">local political parties</a> to bolster separatist narratives in Sindh, which has <a href="http://newsweekpakistan.com/mother-sindh-and-the-making-of-pakistan/">long-standing grievances</a> over resource-sharing with the upper-river province of Punjab.

<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/80704/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1" />To secure truly sustainable, safe and equitable development, the governments of both China and Pakistan must improve consultation and communication with impacted local populations. Otherwise, the price of Chinese investment may be too high for Pakistan to pay.

&nbsp;

*<a href="http://theconversation.com/profiles/dr-nausheen-h-anwar-388151" rel="author">Dr Nausheen H. Anwar</a> is Associate Professor City &amp; Regional Planning, Institute of Business Administration, Karachi

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/for-pakistan-chinas-huge-energy-investments-may-have-serious-political-costs-80704">original article</a>.

&nbsp;

Meant to boost the national economy, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is causing displacement, severe pollution and a surge in waterborne diseases.

By Dr. Amiera Sawas & Dr. Nausheen H. Anwar* In Pakistan, there’s no topic hotter than the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a multi-billion dollar bilateral development project that will officials promised in 2015, “usher in an era of unprecedented progress and prosperity”. The CPEC is not only Pakistan’s first big injection of foreign direct investment in a while, its focus on energy development is also desperately needed in a country that has suffered worsening energy shortages for two decades. With renewables constituting much of the US$33 billion earmarked for energy, the CPEC is also set to make Pakistan a global player in meeting its Paris agreement commitments to fight climate change. And for its bulging, skilled youth population, development promises something truly critical: jobs, jobs, jobs. To mitigate possible hostility from local residents, the government set up a public consultation in Sindh. The land and the losers At least, that’s the theory. Not everyone sees the changes wrought by the CPEC so positively. On July 13, the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency, in the southern province of Sindh, held a consultation with locals concerned about coal expansion in Ranjho Noon, Thar, a desert region shared with India’s Rajasthan state. The meeting concerned the fourth of 13 planned blocks of CPEC coal projects in Thar, and where serious resistance has already greeted Block 2, now underway. Based on our fieldwork with those being impacted by CPEC-funded energy projects, growing citizen mobilisation in Sindh and Punjab may be turning into a political problem for Pakistan. Projects planned for some of the poorest rural areas, including one of the world’s biggest solar parks (Qaid-e-Azam park, in Punjab) and coal and gas exploration in Thar (Sindh) promise prosperity through infrastructural progress, livelihood opportunities and climate resilience. But while CPEC projects are already benefiting the national economy, the boon is less assured for those living in the project regions. To start with, for such projects, you need land and lots of it. Many of the residents in CPEC target areas are homesteaders, pastoralists and small business owners who hold customary land rights, inherited over decades or centuries. Often, community members have no official deed to their property or to the common grazing land their livelihoods depend on. Without official papers, their land is seen as government-owned, and ripe for the taking. The United Nations’ Free, Prior and Informed Consent norm is meant to keep people facing such situations, whether in Pakistan or Bolivia, from being dispossessed and displaced. But in Pakistan, where the CPEC is helping the economy revive from stagnation, development aid has long been politicised, and proper consultation and compensation will be difficult to ensure. A CPEC road in Tharparkar District, Sindh. We found that, so far, many of the initiatives have been carried out without free, prior and informed consent, creating unnecessary tensions between environmental projects and local people and raising concerns about maladaptation as the country progress towards its Nationally Determined Contributions climate plan. For example, one farmer in Muzaffargarh, Punjab, told us that his community had seen displacement, severe pollution and a surge in waterborne diseases since a geothermal project started there in 1994. Nor did the community receive promised benefits, such as electricity and employment. In these mega-projects, jobs in construction, driving, engineering and especially management seem rarely to be offered to locals. Instead, Pakistanis from all over the country are brought in to fill them. The farmer told us about ongoing resistance to a planned CPEC project that the government had thus far failed to heed. At this point, he said, they should expect violent opposition. “We will stand and fight,” he warned. “We are a hundred thousand people, not just a few thousand.” Lower Punjab has seen a disproportionate amount of energy development in recent years, housing six major energy plants within a 28-kilometre radius. The region is inhabited by the Seraiki population, a marginalised ethnic group that is all but invisible to the state. Even when inhabitants are not directly displaced by infrastructure projects, their livelihoods are often endangered. Livestock routes are truncated by construction; streams and rivers are suddenly polluted. One woman from Sindh reported that five pipelines had been run through her village, and that construction noise had become unbearable. “They even blocked our access to hospitals”, she said, also lamenting that when strange men appeared in the fields, “we must cover our faces”. Such incursions feel like a threat to local culture, particularly regarding gender norms. A man from the same village complained that while local men are not recruited as labourers, developers have sought to train women as drivers. “We told them we won’t allow our women to do this!” he said with disbelief. “We don’t trust [the developers]”. The net result for women is that their lives have now become more restricted, both by ongoing construction and by the male response to it. Fear and anxiety Many Pakistanis we spoke with in both Punjab and Sindh perceive CPEC development as just another form of oppression: a way to grab land and resources, further marginalising already vulnerable populations. The CPEC agreement was designed primarily to ensure the security of Chinese investments and citizens. To keep the 8,000-plus Chinese CPEC workers in Pakistan safe, the government is securing concerned areas using invasive monitoring tools such as internet surveillance, stop-and-search policing and phone jammers. The Qaid-e-Azam plant in Punjab, the biggest solar project in the world. No such steps ensure Pakistani citizens’ well-being. The result of all this change, anxiety and resentment is a burgeoning resistance. In February 2017, representatives from 12 Sindhi villages affected by the Gorano Dam, a reservoir intended to collect the waste water from coal and gas exploration, held a “patriotic” protest calling for the dam to be relocated to prevent poisoning local people and their livestock. “No one is listening to us,” one of the protest’s coordinators told us. “Our basic rights are being snatched.” He estimated that 15,000 people, 2,000 animals and 200,000 trees depended on the land now designated for destruction, as well as “fresh-water wells [and] our ancestors’ graveyard”. If Pakistan’s government and CPEC developers continue to ignore these citizens, anxieties will fester. Already, discontent around the CPEC is being used by local political parties to bolster separatist narratives in Sindh, which has long-standing grievances over resource-sharing with the upper-river province of Punjab. To secure truly sustainable, safe and equitable development, the governments of both China and Pakistan must improve consultation and communication with impacted local populations. Otherwise, the price of Chinese investment may be too high for Pakistan to pay. *Dr Nausheen H. Anwar is Associate Professor City & Regional Planning, Institute of Business Administration, Karachi This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

For Pakistan, China's huge energy investments may have serious political costs

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China to build new nuclear reactor in Pakistan: Report

Pakistan turns down China's bid to include Diamer-Bhasha dam in CPEC

For Pakistan, China's huge energy investments may have serious political costs