The Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) issued a construction license to Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) for Chashma Nuclear Power Plant Unit 5 (C-5), on Dec. 26. PAEC applied for the construction license in April this year, along with the preliminary safety assessment report (PSAR) and other licensing submissions covering design and operational aspects of nuclear safety, radiation protection, emergency preparedness, waste management, and nuclear security. PNRA said it issued the license “after a thorough review and assessment of the licensing submissions and on satisfactory fulfillment of all regulatory requirements in compliance with the relevant national and international standards.” C-5 will be an advanced third-generation pressurized water reactor (PWR) of Chinese Hualong One design (HPR1000). The unit will have active and passive safety features including a double-shell containment and reactor filtered venting system. It will have a 60-year design life. C-5 will be the third HPR1000 unit constructed in Pakistan. The other two HPR1000 units—K-2 and K-3—are installed at the Karachi nuclear power plant. K-2 entered commercial operation in May 2021 and K-3 followed suit in April 2022. However, C-5 will have a larger capacity than previous versions—1,200 MWe vs. 1,100 MWe—making it the largest electricity producing nuclear power unit in Pakistan. In addition to the Karachi units, two HPR1000 units are also operating in China at the Fuqing plant in Fujian province. Those reactors, Units 5 and 6 at the site, began commercial operation in January 2021and March 2022, respectively. In late November, China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC), one of the makers of the HPR1000, announced Unit 1 of the Zhangzhou nuclear power plant in China’s Fujian province was connected to the grid. The unit is the first of four HPR1000 reactors under construction at that site. Meanwhile, China General Nuclear (CGN) also offers the Hualong One design. It has commissioned two of its units at the Guangxi Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Plant in western China. According to CNNC, at least 33 Hualong One units are currently in operation or under construction, making it the dominant third-generation nuclear power technology being deployed in the world. In Pakistan, C-5 will join four CNP-300 units (another Chinese design with a capacity of about 300 MWe), which are currently in service at the Chashma facility. Those units—C-1 through C-4—entered commercial operation in 2000, 2011, 2016, and 2017, respectively. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), natural gas is the largest source of electricity generation in Pakistan, providing more than 27% of the supply in 2022. Hydropower ranked second with 20%, while oil, coal, and nuclear all fell within a percentage point of each other at 16.6%, 15.9%, and 15.6%, respectively. Notably, the IEA says more than 40 million people in Pakistan remain without access to electricity. —Aaron Larson is POWER’s executive editor (@POWERmagazine).
