Islamabad, Dec 03: China will sell Pakistan a second nuclear power plant next year to help solve its energy problems, government officials said today. The power plant will be built in Chashma, 225 kilometers Southwest of Islamabad, and will be able to generate 600 megawatts of power, two Pakistani officials said on condition of anonymity.

China sold Pakistan a nuclear power plant with the same capacity in the 1990s that was also built in Chashma.

Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali met with Pakistani nuclear scientists yesterday and asked them to speed work on the new project next year, the officials said.

They refused to provide details about the Chinese deal, including the price and when it was reached.

During a visit to China last month by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, Chinese officials said the two countries had "reached consensus'' about a joint nuclear power plant project, but gave no other details. Bureau Report