Unit 3 of the Karachi nuclear power plant in Pakistan has reached full power operation for the first time, a milestone reached on 31 March 2022.
The 1014MW power plant includes an HPR1000 pressurised water reactor and is owned and operated by Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission.
HPR 1000 or Hualong One is a 3rd-generation nuclear power brand jointly developed by the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and the China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN).
According to CNNC, the HPR 1000 design was based on more than 30 years of nuclear power research and is capable of mass production.
Karachi unit 3 is the world’s fourth Hualong One unit and China’s second unit overseas. Units 2 and 3 are the result of nuclear cooperation between China and Pakistan, a country participating China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
The nuclear project not only provides stable electricity to Karachi, but is also viewed as a way to enhance confidence in Hualong One across countries and regions participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.
According to the World Nuclear Association, Pakistan has six operable reactors supplied by China.
