Karachi Nuclear Power Plant

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Active reactors ( gross ):

The nuclear power plant Karachi (even with the abbreviation KANUPP - Karachi Nuclear Power Plant - referred to ) is the Paradise Point, about 15 miles west of Karachi in Pakistan. It is located since 1972 in commercial operation. The nuclear power plant Karachi is a part of the Karachi Nuclear Power Complex ( KNPC ) and run by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission ( PAEC ), which is also the operator.

History

Construction of the reactor of the nuclear power plant was on 1 August 1966. The construction was carried out under the support of Canada. The reactor was first critically on August 1, 1971 first synchronized on 18 October 1971 the power grid and took on December 7, 1972 commercial operation. The plant was officially inaugurated by the then President of Pakistan on 28 November 1972. The release of radioactive material by liquid and gaseous effluents remained within 4 % of the maximum permissible limit. On December 23, 1976 ended the nuclear cooperation between Canada and Pakistan, because there were concerns about Pakistan's nuclear program on the Canadian side. Thus, the supply of uranium were discontinued.

Pakistan operates in Karachi also a production facility for heavy water.

Security

An in-depth analysis of the reliability of the system was carried out in the years 1985 and 1989 by the International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA) with the operation Safety Review Team ( OSART ). In both OSART missions, the IAEA team found no errors.

The nuclear power plant Karachi has pledged in 1992 to replace the outdated and obsolete computer control and regulation technology.

After more than four decades of operation, the signs of the natural aging become more apparent. Many critical components reach the end of their originally designed service life and must also be replaced. The production facility for heavy water runs under IAEA safety arrangements.

The general public as well as the environmentalists have concerns about the release of radioactive waste from nuclear power plants and their effects. However, the records of the waste in the nuclear power plant Karachi were particularly satisfactory, according to the operator, and the operator told to bring the management of waste on the highest possible standards. Solid waste and resins are stored on the premises in adequately protected sites. Liquid wastes are eliminated by chemical and radiological analyzes.

Reactor

In the nuclear power plant Karachi a special variant of the CANDU reactor ( pressurized water reactor with heavy water as a moderator ) was built. The reactor uses low-enriched natural uranium as fuel. The reactor has a net electrical output of 125 MWe and an electric gross output of 137 MWe. He fed since its commissioning about 9,993 GWh in the commercial power grid of Pakistan.

Incident

On 18 October 2011, an incident occurred at the nuclear power plant Karachi. It was shortly proclaimed also the emergency after a several hours of use by a team of specialists in the reactor but this proposal was canceled, as before, a leak was detected in a water pipe .. A hazard to personnel or the environment had not been given, even if by the leakage water has leaked, which was, however, charged not radioactive. The incident was not published until 20 October 2011. A rating on the INES scale has not yet taken place.

Data

  • Reactor type: Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor ( PHWR, CANDU )
  • Transmission voltage: 15/132 kV
  • Cost of Capital (1971 ): 428 026 000 Pakistani rupees
  • Amount of heavy water ( D2O ): 300,000 lbs
  • Number of Channels: 208
  • Total weight of the uranium in the core: about 30 tons

Data of the reactor block

The nuclear power plant Karachi has a power block:

International Nuclear Event Scale
463757
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