Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission achieved a milestone here on Saturday by successfully completing Dome Placement of Karachi Nuclear Power Plant Unit-III (K-3). Chairman Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Muhammad Naeem (HI, SI) in his statement on the occasion said, “The Dome Placement of K-3 Nuclear Power Plant will mark as the completion of civil works of the plant.”
It is surely due to the dedication and hard work of our engineers, technicians and our Chinese friends that by the grace of Almighty, we are going ahead as per schedule towards the completion of these nuclear power plants (K-2 & K-3) which are expected to be in operation in 2020 and 2021, respectively, he added.
These nuclear power plants will add 2200 MW of electricity to the national grid which will consequently contribute towards socio-economic development of the country, Muhammad Naeem further said. “Here, I would like to thank the Government of Pakistan for its unshakable trust in PAEC and its patronage. My Chinese counterparts also deserve felicitation for their utmost cooperation in this great venture,” he added.
Over a decade ago, the Energy Security Plan 2005 set a target of 8800 MW of nuclear power by 2030. At that time it seemed to be a herculean task. However, thanks to the will and determination of PAEC and willingness of China to extend necessary cooperation, the target of 8800 MW appears achievable now. Right now, PAEC is contributing over 1400 MW to the national grid after C-4 became operational last year.
Chashma Nuclear Power complex contains four operational Chinese-origin power plants, i.e. C-1, C-2, C-3 and C-4. They have been successfully contributing to the national Grid with an excellent performance since 2000, 2011, 2016 and 2017, respectively. The four units at Chashma collectively supply over 1300 MW to the national grid with capacity factors of over 90 percent.
Pakistan started its civilian nuclear power program very early with the construction of a 137MWe nuclear power plant named KANUPP near Karachi, which started operation in 1972. Because of this power plant, Pakistan is considered among the pioneers of nuclear power technology in the developing world. PAEC has enviable record of running KANUPP safely after completing its design life of 30 years.
The nuclear power generation is very efficient, environment friendly and economical source of energy. Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission efficiently using nuclear technology for power generation to resolve the soaring energy deficiency in the country. It has been constructing new nuclear power plants with the assistance of China.
Source: Daily Pakistan Observer