K-2 nuclear plant successfully synchronized with National Grid

The 1145 Megawatts (MW) Karachi Nuclear Power Plant Unit-2 (K-2) has successfully connected with the national grid.

“By the Grace of Almighty Allah, nuclear power plant K-2 1145 MW synchronized successfully with the national grid,” said Federal Minister for Power, Petroleum and Natural Resources Omar Ayub Khan in a tweet post. The minister informed that the current gross generation of the plant is 105 MW.

The K-2 unit is the first overseas unit using China’s homegrown Hualong One technology and successfully completed Hot Functional Tests (HFT). The Government of Pakistan assigned the contract of K-2 and K-3 units to China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) for safe and efficient power generation through nuclear reactors.

Back in December, the CNNC started fuel-loading at the Karachi 2 reactor as part of the process to connect it to the grid. The CNNC built the K-2 and K-3 reactors, each with a capacity of 1.1 million kilowatts.

K-2 is a pressurized water reactor based on the Chinese HPR-1000 technology and a third-generation plant equipped with advanced safety features. The construction of the K-2 plant started on August 31, 2015, and its commercial operation will begin in April 2021 after undergoing several operational and safety tests.