Pakistan to manufacture nuclear power plants
(Kyodo) _ Pakistan has decided to embark on the indigenous manufacture of 300-megawatt commercial nuclear power plants to meet growing energy needs, reliable official sources have said.
They said Pakistan decided to go for indigenous manufacture of commercial nuclear power plants because of the poor response of the United States and the Nuclear Supplier Group to requests for help in the civilian nuclear energy program on the pattern of the 2004 India-U.S. nuclear deal.
"We have taken many steps and more are on the anvil to start indigenous manufacture of 300-MW pressurized water reactor," the sources said.
They pointed out that an Engineering and Design Organization has been set up to design and develop a standard for indigenous nuclear power plants and privatization of the Chinese-aided Heavy Mechanical Complex, or HMC, was reversed by the government when it was pointed out that Pakistan was capable of manufacturing components for nuclear power plants.
HMC can manufacture several key components of thermal power plants which could also be used in the nuclear power plants and
Pakistan has also set up HMC-3 exclusively to contribute in the indigenous nuclear power plants.
Official sources pointed out that Pakistan's "Energy Security Plan" envisaged 8,500 MW of nuclear energy by 2030, which would require setting up 22 nuclear power plants of 300-mw capacity if the target is to be met.
"Sites for eight nuclear power plants have already been selected," the official said and indicated that a consortium of private and public industrial units would be set up to undertake manufacture of the nuclear power plants.
Pakistan has set up a 300-MW nuclear power plant at Chashma (Chashnupp-1) in the Mianwali district in southern Punjab with Chinese assistance and a second plant is under construction at the same site.
Although Chashnupp-1 and 2 were turnkey contracts, Pakistan contributed up to 30 percent of their components, which could be increased to 70 percent.
"No country can manufacture a nuclear power plant 100 percent all by itself. We cannot produce reactor shells, several pumps and the pressure vessels for which we will have to develop additional capacity or enter into a licensing agreement," an official said.
Pakistan has already commissioned a 50-MW indigenous heavy water reactor at Khushab that is yielding plutonium for the nuclear weapons program.
Two additional reactors of same capacity are believed to be under construction at the same site.
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