PAKISTAN Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) achieved a major milestone in its pursuit for clean and reliable energy by successfully achieving criticality of its 1100 megawatt nuclear power station in Karachi, one of the two major nuclear power plants in the city.
The Commission said the 1,100MW plant, called K-2, would go through certain safety tests and procedures before it is connected to the national grid by the end of March.
K-2 is the first nuclear power project with generation capacity of over 1000 megawatt and it will help reduce load shedding in summers by generating environment-friendly, affordable and reliable base load electricity for the country.
Another nuclear power project K-3 is also in completion phase and expected to be in operation next year.
PAEC has previously been running five nuclear power plants in the country one at Karachi and four at Chashma with collective generation capacity of nearly 14, 000 megawatt.
Hence, the K-2’s addition will almost double the generation capacity of nuclear power plants of the country improving share of nuclear power in the overall energy mix.
The PAEC really deserves appreciation for playing its part in energy security of the country and we are confident that it will continue its endeavours in this regard.
Under this Nuclear Energy Vision 2050, the country envisages nuclear power generation capacity of 40,000 megawatt, which definitely will be a great achievement and greatly contribute in the energy security and reduce reliance on the power plants currently being run on the expensive imported fuel.
We are also proud of the cooperation being extended by our Chinese friends in the realm of nuclear energy.
China is not only providing the safest and the most cutting edge technology but also the financing as well.
The cooperation in nuclear energy is yet another manifestation of the level trust and understanding that exists between the two countries.
It is also highly important that whilst the country is now producing surplus electricity, requisite steps are taken to improve the transmission and distribution system to provide uninterrupted electricity to the consumers.
In addition, options must be explored to export additional electricity.
