1,100MW K-2 nuclear power plant connected to national grid

• PAEC says 1,100MW Karachi Nuclear Power Plant Unit-2 (K-2) has been connected to the national grid.
  
• K-2 is the first Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Pakistan with a generation capacity of 1,100MWs.
  
• It is also expected that K-2 would nearly double the generation capacity of nuclear power plants.
  

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) has announced that it has connected 1,100MW Karachi Nuclear Power Plant Unit-2 (K-2) to the national grid for cost-effective and reliable electricity, The News reported on Friday.

K-2 is the first Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Pakistan with a generation capacity of 1,100MWs and its addition to the national grid will surely help improve the economy.

It is one of the two similar under-construction NPPs located near Karachi and will be inaugurated for commercial operation by the end of May this year.

K-2 to double the generation capacity

It is also expected that K-2 would nearly double the generation capacity of nuclear power plants, substantially improving the overall share of nuclear power in the energy mix.

On December 1 last year, the loading of nuclear fuel onto the plant was started after getting a clearance from the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA).

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

NPP had achieved criticality at the end of February and was undergoing certain safety tests and procedures before it could finally be connected to the grid.

Moreover, the other one, named K-3, is also in the completion phase and is expected to be operational by the end of 2021.

Other six NPPs running in the country

PAEC is now running six NPPs in the country. Two of them are located in Karachi and are named Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP) and K-2 while four sites at Chashma, in the Mianwali district, are named Chashma Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1-4.

Earlier, the collective generation capacity of all PAEC-operated NPPs was around 1,400MWs. Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Muhammad Naeem congratulated Member Power Saeedur Rehman and his team on this achievement.