Pakistan’s solar power generation surpassed nuclear electricity production in 2025, making solar the country’s largest individual source of electricity generation, according to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2026. Solar generation reached an estimated 36.3 terawatt-hours (TWh) during the year, compared with 22.5 TWh produced by Pakistan’s nuclear power plants. The development comes despite nuclear generation also reaching a record level, with output increasing by 3.7 percent from 21.7 TWh in 2024. The report noted that the solar figure could be considerably higher because a large amount of privately installed solar capacity operates behind the meter and therefore does not appear fully in official grid-based electricity data.
The report estimated that solar accounted for 21.6 percent of Pakistan’s total gross electricity generation in 2025, putting it significantly ahead of nuclear power. Solar generation increased by around 85 percent during the year, reflecting the rapid adoption of photovoltaic systems by households and businesses. Much of this expansion has taken place outside the formal electricity grid, as consumers have increasingly installed their own solar systems to generate electricity for self-consumption. The shift has also been linked to declining electricity consumption from the public grid despite economic activity, as more households and businesses have relied on privately generated power. Separate analysis from Ember also recorded an 85 percent increase in Pakistan’s solar generation in 2025, although its estimate of total solar output was lower because it uses a different methodology.
Pakistan’s rapid solar expansion has been supported by a major increase in imports of solar panels from China. According to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report, Pakistan imported more than 58 gigawatts (GW) of solar panels from China between the beginning of 2017 and mid-2026. Around 40 GW, representing approximately 69 percent of the total, arrived during the two and a half years from 2024 to mid-2026. This made Pakistan the second-largest single-country market for Chinese solar panels after the Netherlands, which also serves as a major European distribution hub. The report said Pakistan installed around twice as much solar capacity over five years as France installed over a decade, highlighting the speed of adoption in the country.
Nuclear power, meanwhile, continued to expand despite being overtaken by solar. Pakistan currently operates six nuclear reactors with a combined net capacity of around 3.3 gigawatts, all built by the China National Nuclear Corporation. The operating fleet includes K-2 and K-3 near Karachi and four CNP-300 reactors at the Chashma Nuclear Power Generating Station. Another 1,000-megawatt Chashma-5 reactor is under construction and is expected to be completed by 2030. The World Nuclear Industry Status Report noted that Pakistan was among the countries that recorded its highest-ever nuclear production in 2025. However, the rapid growth of solar generation means the country’s electricity mix is changing quickly, with privately installed solar systems becoming an increasingly important part of power supply alongside the formal generation network.
Follow the SPIN IDG WhatsApp Channel for updates across the Smart Pakistan Insights Network covering all of Pakistan’s technology ecosystem.
