COMPLETION of the country’s largest nuclear power plant in Karachi despite heavy odds and challenges is, indeed, a great achievement of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and yet another living proof of China’s sincerity to help Pakistan overcome its energy shortages.
The announcement that K-2, with a total generation capacity of 1,100 MW, has been connected to the national grid is a proud gift of the Commission to the nation on the eve of Pakistan Day.
The successful completion and operation of K-2 assumes greater significance as some vested interests launched intense propaganda against the twin projects of K-2 and K-3 on baseless assumption of safety issues.
Questions were also raised about the technology and the prospects of successful operation of such a large nuclear power plant but credit goes to the Commission, which completed the task with the active collaboration of China and demonstrated to the world that it has the capability and capacity to manage huge nuclear power plants.
K-2 is the first Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Pakistan with a generation capacity of 1,100MWs and its addition to the national grid will surely help improve the economy.
It is also expected that K-2 would nearly double the generation capacity of nuclear power plants, substantially improving the overall share of nuclear power in the energy mix.
K-2 and K-3 would together provide 2,200 MW of electricity to the national grid by the end of the year when K-3 is expected to become operational.
Media reports, quoting Chairman PAEC Muhammad Naeem, speak of PAEC working on a similar project in Chashma where four nuclear power plants are already in operation and providing dependable power supply to the country.
The efforts of the PAEC Chairman and his team to increase the share of nuclear power in the national energy mix are really appreciable as the country has been facing nuclear apartheid and members of the so-called Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) are reluctant to cooperate with Pakistan whereas they are in competition with one another in extending blanket cooperation to India.
It is encouraging that after making the country’s defence impregnable, PAEC is working hard to help realize the objective of energy security.
It is need of the hour that the Government increases its allocations for PAEC to give a boost to its research and development strategy and indigenization programme.
