China signs deal to build third large nuclear reactor

Islamabad wants to boost nuclear capacity to 8,800MW by 2030

China has signed a deal to build a third large nuclear reactor in Pakistan, which wants to get a fifth of its electricity from nuclear by 2030.

World Nuclear News, supported by industry lobby World Nuclear Association, reported that China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) have signed a cooperation agreement for the construction of a 1,000 megawatt (MW) HPR1000 “Hualong One” reactor at the Chashma nuclear power plant in Punjab.

Pakistan generates five per cent of its electricity from four small 300MW Chinese reactors at the Chashma plant and wants to boost nuclear capacity to 8,800MW, or about 20 per cent of power generation capacity, by 2030.

China is already building two Hualong One reactors with a capacity of 1100MW each near the port city of Karachi, which are expected to become operational in 2020 and 2021 respectively.

Final stage

PAEC chairman Mohammad Naeem told Reuters last month PAEC was in the final stages of awarding contracts for Chashma, which would take Pakistan’s nuclear capacity to about 5,000MW when it is finished. He said Pakistan wanted to build at least 3 to 4 more big nuclear reactors by 2030.

Imported oil is the main fuel for power generation in Pakistan, where one quarter of the population has no access to electricity.