ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) on Friday issued a construction license to the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) for Chashma Nuclear Power Plant Unit 5 (C-5).
According to the PNRA statement, C-5 is an advanced third-generation Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) of Chinese Hualong design (HPR1000) having active and passive safety features including a double-shell containment, reactor-filtered venting system, and many other technological innovations.
This is the 3rd Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Pakistan with this design, which has a 60-year design life. C-5 will be the largest electricity-producing nuclear power plant in the country with a capacity of 1200 MWe.
“Two NPPs (K-2 & K-3) of the same design are already successfully operating in Karachi and adding electricity to the national grid of Pakistan,” the statement read.
PNRA said that the license was issued following a thorough review and assessment of the licensing submissions and on satisfactory fulfillment of all regulatory requirements in compliance with the relevant national and international standards.
Earlier, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission applied for the construction license in April this year along with the Preliminary Safety Assessment Report (PSAR) and other licensing submissions covering design and operational aspects of nuclear safety, radiation protection, emergency preparedness, waste management, and nuclear security.
