Pakistan’s K2 nuclear reactor using Chinese technology completes thermal testing

BEIJING: China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said that the K2 unit at the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant in Pakistan – which is the first overseas unit using China’s homegrown Hualong One technology – has successfully completed Hot Functional Tests (HFT).

The success has laid a solid foundation for subsequent major processes, including nuclear fuel loading and grid-connected power generation, China Global Television Network (CGTN) reported on Sunday quoting a CNNC official.

HFT plays a significant role in the construction of the nuclear power project, simulating the actual operating conditions of the nuclear power plant to verify the reliability of the main equipment and systems under the thermal conditions before the nuclear reactor is loaded with nuclear fuel.

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It is also a comprehensive inspection of the quality of the reactor coolant system equipment, pipeline sealing and welding, as well as the design, manufacture, and installation of relevant systems.

Hualong One technology, also known as HPR1000, is one of the third-generation nuclear power designs with the highest acceptability in the current nuclear power market, and a significant landmark achievement of China’s innovative development of nuclear power.

Currently, six units at home and abroad powered by Hualong One technology are under construction, whose safety and quality are well controlled.

On August 31 local time, the outer containment dome of the K3 unit at the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant was successfully installed, and the main structure of the nuclear power plant was completed.

The number 5 unit of China’s Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant, the world’s first pilot project using Hualong One technology, started nuclear fuel loading the same day.