The Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) issued a construction license to the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) for the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant Unit 5 (C-5), on Dec. 26. PAEC applied for a construction license in April of this year, along with a 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 safety. PNRA said it issued the license “after a thorough review and inspection of the license submission and satisfactory fulfillment of all legal requirements in accordance with relevant national and international standards.” The IC-5 will be the third generation upgraded pressurized water reactor (PWR) of the Chinese Hualong One design (HPR1000). The unit will have active and passive safety features including a double-shell container and a filtered ventilation system. It will have a design life of 60 years. The IC-5 will be the third HPR1000 unit built in Pakistan. Two more HPR1000 units—K-2 and K-3—are installed at the Karachi nuclear power plant. The K-2 began commercial operation in May 2021 and the K-3 followed suit in April 2022. However, the C-5 will be more powerful than previous versions—1,200 MW vs. 1,100 MWe—making it Pakistan’s largest nuclear power plant. 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 2021 and March 2022, respectively. In late November, China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC), one of the manufacturers of the HPR1000, announced that Unit 1 of the Zhangzhou nuclear power plant in China’s Fujian province has been connected to the grid. The unit is the first of four HPR1000s under construction at the site. Meanwhile, China General Nuclear (CGN) is also offering the Hualong One design. It commissioned two of its units at the Guangxi Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Plant in western China. According to CNNC, at least 33 units of Hualong One are in operation or under construction, making it the most prominent third-generation nuclear power technology deployed in the world. In Pakistan, the C-5 will join four CNP-300 units (another Chinese design with a capacity of about 300 MWe), which are currently operating 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 by 2022. one percentage point to 16.6%, 15.9%, and 15.6%, respectively. Notably, the IEA says that more than 40 million people in Pakistan remain without electricity. –Aaron Larson is the editor-in-chief of POWER (@POWERmagazine).
