Pak PM inaugurates the China-backed 1,100 MW nuclear power plant in Karachi

Islamabad: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the first China-backed 1,100 MW nuclear power plant in Karachi on Friday, coinciding with the celebration of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the all-weather allies.

Khan virtually conducted the inauguration of the power plant, formerly known as the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant Unit-2 (Kanupp-2 or K-2), which was built with the support of China.

The prime minister, who attended the ceremony from Islamabad, said the completion of the project was made possible through cooperation between Pakistan and China.

“The project will produce 1,100 megawatts of clean energy, which is particularly important to us as Pakistan is one of the ten countries most affected by climate change,” he said.

Construction of the K-2 system began in November 2013 and fuel loading began on December 1, 2020. After several tests, the system was connected to the national grid on March 18, 2021.

K-2 is a state-of-the-art Generation III facility with enhanced safety systems, particularly internal and external accident prevention capabilities, and enhanced emergency response capabilities, according to Muhammad Naeem, chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC).

He said in a webinar Thursday that K-2 and the upcoming K-3 nuclear power are safe to operate and their inauguration would be a milestone in the country’s drive to increase the proportion of electricity generated by nuclear power.

He said the inauguration of K-2 marks a new era of large-scale facilities with Generation III reactors.

K-3, he said, will hopefully be functional for the next 8-10 months. Both K-2 and K-3 power plants have a lifespan of around 60 years, which can be extended to 80 years.

Naeem said they were designed to survive any earthquake predicted for that region. In addition, they can withstand the effects of even a large airliner strike.

The Pakistani Atomic Energy Commission owns six nuclear power plants in the country. Two of them are in Karachi, K-1 and K-2, and four are in Chashma in the Punjab Mianwali District, known as Chashma 1-4.

The total generation capacity of all plants operated by PAEC in front of K-2 was around 1,400 megawatts. With the connection of 1100 MW K-2 to the power grid, the share of nuclear energy in the national electricity mix has risen to around 12 percent, according to official information.

On the eve of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China, Prime Minister Khan and Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang held telephone conversations on Thursday and reiterated their determination to further diversify and deepen strategic cooperation among the all-weather allies.

The two heads of state and government discussed bilateral relations and cooperation on COVID-19 vaccines. Prime Minister Khan stressed that through their collective and relentless efforts over the years, Pakistan and China have turned their relationship into an “all-weather strategic cooperation partnership”.

This story was published by a wire agency feed with no changes to the text.

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