Nuke energy cooperation sees new heights

The construction of Unit 5 of the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant in Pakistan — yet another milestone in nuclear energy cooperation between China and Pakistan — will bolster the world's confidence in Chinese nuclear power technology, market observers and analysts said on Monday.

The unit (C-5) began construction on Friday and it is the third to use Hualong One, China's third-generation nuclear power technology with full intellectual property rights, that the country has exported to Pakistan as well as the seventh nuclear power unit exported overall to the western neighbor, its operator China National Nuclear Corp said.

The power unit's construction using the technology in Pakistan not only illustrates the strategic and stable partnership between China and Pakistan, but also helps China's reactor technology to make a headway in overseas markets, an analyst said.

The construction of the nuclear power project will not only boost confidence in China's nuclear technology, but also pave the way for its wider adoption on the global stage, said Lin Boqiang, head of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University.

According to Lin, China has been moving away from imports of nuclear power technology in recent years and accelerating the development of homegrown technology.

CNNC said it had built two nuclear power bases in Pakistan with six nuclear power units, which can provide nearly 30 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity every year, equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 24.48 million metric tons per year.

The construction of the C-5 project will further enhance Pakistan's energy security, help promote its economic development, and improve the well-being of the local population, CNNC said.

At a ceremony held in Pakistan on Friday, China and Pakistan also reached a consensus on enhancing collaboration across the entire power industry chain and achieving mutual benefits.

Currently, K2 and K3 of Pakistan's Karachi Nuclear Power Plant, which use China's Hualong One technology, form the largest nuclear power plant in Pakistan.

K2 was put into operation in 2021, followed by K3 in 2022.

Both were under CNNC's operational control to ensure smooth operations in the initial phase. The whole plant was handed over to Pakistan in February.

The annual nuclear power generated by K2 and K3 is equivalent to the power generated by 6.24 million tons of coal. This has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 16.32 million tons, optimizing the energy structure of Pakistan and easing pressure from climate change, it said.