The K-3 unit of 1100 megawatts Karachi Nuclear Power Plant was successfully connected to the national grid on March 4, laying solid foundations for commercial operation, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) announced.
The power plant achieved criticality on Feb. 21 but was connected to the national grid on March 4, after completing certain safety tests and procedures.
“The plant has been connected to the grid on a testing basis and is expected to be inaugurated soon after attaining full power,” a PAEC statement said.
The plants have been developed with Chinese support.
“The K-3 unit of the Karachi Nuclear Power Project in Pakistan has successfully been connected to the national grid. It will generate nearly 10 billion kWh of electricity annually & meet the annual electricity demand of more than 4 million households in Pakistan,” Chinese Embassy in Pakistan announced via Twitter.
Second NPP with over 1100 generation capacity
K-3 is the second nuclear power plant in Pakistan with a generation capacity of 1100 MW. The addition of K-3 into the national grid is expected to help cut electricity tariffs, said the PAEC. The other one is named K-2. Both power plants were started in November 2013. The then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had performed the groundbreaking of both the K-2 & K-3 units.
The construction of K-2 was kick-started in August 2015, while K-3 project started in May 2016. Both projects were started after obtaining approval from the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA). The fuel loading of K-3 started in December last after obtaining PNRA clearance.
Total capacity of NPPs
The PAEC is now running six NPPs in the country. Two of them are located in Karachi, while four in district Mianwali — Chashma Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1-4.
The collective generation capacity of all the NPPs operated by PAEC was over 2,400 MWs. With the addition of K-3 in the national grid NPPs generation capacity will be enhanced to over 3500MW, substantially improving the overall share of nuclear power in the energy mix.
Nuclear energy is safe
Nuclear energy is considered safe and reliable, and economically competitive.
“Nuclear energy is safe, reliable, and an important source of electricity with zero carbon emission besides being economically competitive,” the PAEC said, adding that the NPPs were being operated under the safeguards of International Atomic Energy Agency.