Solar beats nuclear in Pakistan: 36.3 TWh from panels in 2025, 21.6% of all electricity

Pakistan made more electricity from solar panels than from its six nuclear reactors in 2025, the first year solar has overtaken nuclear here. Solar generated 36.3 terawatt-hours (TWh), about 21.6% of gross electricity generation, against 22.5 TWh from nuclear, according to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2026, which draws on Pakistan's Economic Survey 2025-26, as first reported by ProPakistani.

The numbers

• Solar: 36.3 TWh in 2025, up about 85% in a year by the report's estimate.
• Nuclear: 22.5 TWh, up 3.7% from 21.7 TWh in 2024, from six reactors with 3.3 gigawatts of capacity, all built by China National Nuclear Corporation.
• Gap: solar produced roughly 60% more than nuclear.
• Panels: Pakistan imported more than 58 GW of solar panels from China between early 2017 and mid-2026, and 40 GW (69%) of that in 2024 to 2026 alone.

Much of that capacity sits on the rooftops of homes, shops and factories rather than in grid-connected power plants.

What it means for you

• For the bill: every unit your roof makes is a unit you do not buy at the grid tariff. Check what your current usage costs with the electricity bill calculator.
• For a new system: size it with the solar panel calculator, then see how long it takes to pay back with the solar payback calculator. Panel prices per watt are tracked on our solar panel price page.
• For everyone still on the grid: as more households generate their own power, the grid's fixed costs are spread over fewer units sold. Watch NEPRA's tariff decisions for how that is charged.

The report counts gross generation, including electricity made and used on site, so the share differs from figures that only cover power sold through the national grid.