China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), a nuclear power giant will construct two third-generation reactors in Karachi. The projects will use Hualong One technology which has been developed in china and is being marketed as Chinese nuclear power industry’s “flagship brand”. It is a third-generation pressurized water reactor power unit the first of which is being established in Fuqing, east China’s Fujian Province. Two reactors are planned for Pakistan namely K-2 and K-3 which will be constructed in the port city of Karachi. These two reactors are expected to cost around $10 billion and are expected to be completed within the decade. The innovative design employed in these plants is the company’s first 1,100-megawatt reactor overseas
Keeping safety in mind, Karachi plants K2 and K3 have been planned for a height of 12 meters above sea level, keeping in mind that the greatest tsunami-alert level for Karachi is 2.5 meters. According to the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, the projects will also be able to withstand an air crash, earthquakes and other natural disasters. Nuclear energy is the safest and most reliable means of power generation for a developing country like Pakistan as it provides an enormous supply of electricity with a small amount of uranium
