Fourth N-plant starts power supply to national grid

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s fourth nuclear power plant (NPP) has started supplying electricity to the national grid on trial basis, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) announced on Sunday.

The PAEC stated that Pakistan’s fourth nuclear power plant has started supplying electricity to the national grid on Sunday on trial basis. 

The Chashma Nuclear Power Plant Unit-3(C-3), situated near Mianwali, has now been formally connected to the national electricity grid hence supply of electricity has been started. 

This Chashma nuclear power generating unit will supply power to the national grid from now onwards. After completion of several safety related and functional tests, it will attain full power of 340 MW in first fortnight of December, 2016. Formal full power inauguration ceremony will be held in December, 2016. 

In this regard, a formal ceremony was held at the plant site in which Member (Power) PAEC and his Chinese counterpart along with Members of PAEC and other dignitaries were present. In his statement issued on this occasion, Chairman PAEC Muhammad Naeem reaffirmed his determination that the scientists, engineers and technicians of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission are working hard to contribute in achieving all the targets of energy security in the country. He also acknowledged the support of Strategic Plans Division (SPD) and Govt. of Pakistan in achieving these targets.

This remarkable achievement will increase the share of nuclear electricity in the energy mix of the country. The country’s first nuclear power plant namely KANUPP near Karachi is operational for the last 44 years. The other two nuclear power units at Chashma, C-1 and C-2 are already supplying electricity to the grid for many years.

The nuclear power plants C-1 and C-2 are considered to be the best energy generating units in the country with more than 90% capacity factor consistently. These power plants are supplying about 600 MWe. The new power plant C-3 will add around 315 MWe net electricity to the system. The next unit of the nuclear power generation C-4 at Chashma will Insha Allah start its operation in early 2017.

The other two larger capacity nuclear power plants (K-2 & K-3) at Karachi are also under construction and will be completed in 2020 and 2021 respectively. These plants will further add around 2,100 MWe net electrical power in the system upon connection to the national grid.

—Originally published in The News