Nuclear energy not on platter for Pakistan: US

[Bullhead]

The US, which signed a nuclear agreement with India last year, is not considering the option of providing atomic energy to Pakistan as part of its efforts to resolve the energy-crisis in the country.

A high-profile US team which went to Islamabad recently to discuss energy issues with Pakistan's officals did not discuss the option of civilian nuclear energy, David Goldwyn, coordinator for international energy affairs at the State Department told foreign journalists here.

"We spent two days in very intensive talks with the government of Pakistan on whole range of energy issues, but they did not raise nuclear energy, so we did not discuss it," Goldwyn said.

The reasons, experts say, are obvious, given Pakistan's proliferation record and the fact that the country's nuclear scientist A Q Khan led a network which spread nuclear technology to rogue nations like N Korea.

Ever since India and the US inked the civilian nuclear agreement last year, Pakistan has been demanding a pact on similar lines.

However, the US has ruled out any such possibility, with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asserting in her major speech on nuclear non-proliferation last month that there can be no template of the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal.

"Nuclear energy isn't always the most cost-effective. Its certainly the lowest carbon alternative, but it can be pretty expensive," Goldwyn said when a South Asian journalist asked about the possibility of nuclear energy, being the cheapest option, could be used in Pakistan too.

Goldwyn said the biggest challenge in the Pakistan electricity sector is getting prices right.

"Everything flows from whether or not you charge a cost-recoverable tariff for electricity," said Goldwyn, who had led a team of US officials on October 23 and 24 to Islamabad for a US-Pakistan energy policy dialogue.

"Pakistan was a country that in 1994 had the ability to export electricity, and they were looking at export routes, because they had a surplus of generation," he said.

The plans are for 2,500 megawatts by December and nearly 4,600 megawatts of additional generation capacity by next June.

"And if Pakistan implements the plan, which they have devised, then they should be able to avoid the rolling blackouts of last summer," he said.

Nuclear energy not on platter for Pakistan: US

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

It'll come with time.

The first step is to restore stability and return to economic growth in Pakistan. The US official is correct that NPP's are expensive, so I am not certain that Pakistan could take advantage of a nuclear deal at the moment even if it did get one, beyond the Chinese offering their traditional 'flexible financing options'.

The important thing for now is that the dialog has been started on the issue, but Pakistan must show progress on several fronts before a nuclear deal is feasible.

 

[deathfromabove]

FYI

The Chashma Nuclear Power Plant near Chashma, Punjab, Pakistan, consists of Chashma Nuclear Power Plant I (CHASNUPP-1) and Chashma Nuclear Power Plant II (CHASNUPP-2). CHASNUPP-3 and CHASNUPP-4 are in the planning stages. Chashma Nuclear Power Plant's reactors and other facilities are being built and operated by the Pakistani government with Chinese support.

Chashma Nuclear Power Plant I

Chashma Nuclear Power Plant I is located at Kundian, Punjab, Pakistan. CHASNUPP-1 is the only reactor presently operating at the Chashma nuclear complex.

CHASNUPP-1 is a single reactor unit. The unit is of 300 MW capacity and includes a two-loop pressurized water reactor nuclear steam supply system (NSSS) furnished by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). The nuclear island and conventional island of the plant utilizes proven design, similar to that of Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant in China. Systems and major equipment of the nuclear island, including the NSSS, are designed by Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research and Design Institute (SNERDI). The systems in the conventional island are designed by East China Electric Power Design Institute (ECEPDI).

Construction started in 1993 and the plant came into operation in 2000. Since then there have been five fuel changes. By the second quarter of 2008 CHASNUPP-1 had produced more than 1650 gigawatt-hours of electricity. Average capacity and availability factors during the fifth refuelling cycle (May 2, 2007 to August 3, 2008) were 95% and 93% respectively.

Chashma Nuclear Power Plant II

Chashma Nuclear Power Plant II is a nuclear power station under construction at Kundian, Punjab, Pakistan. When complete it will form part of the Chashma Nuclear Power Complex in the northwestern region of the Thal Doab. The site is located south of Mianwali, near the Chashma Barrage and on the left bank of the Indus River.

CHASNUPP-2 is situated next to Chashma Nuclear Power Plant 1, which has been in commercial operation since the middle of 2000. CHASNUPP-2 will be a single-unit plant similar to CHASNUPP-1. The unit will be of 300 MWe class and include a two-loop pressurized water reactor nuclear steam supply system furnished by CNNC. The nuclear island and conventional island of the plant is an evolution of the CHASNUPP-1 design. Engineering and major equipment of the nuclear island including the NSSS is being delivered by SNERDI, and engineering of the conventional island is by ECEPDI.

The nuclear steam supply system is designed for a total power capacity of 1,002 MWt, which includes 3.4 MWt from the reactor coolant pumps. The corresponding gross electric output of the turbine generator is 325 MWe and the net supply output of the plant is around 300 MWe. The reactor containment is of pre-stressed reinforced concrete construction in the form of a vertical cylinder with a torispherical dome and a flat base. The interior surface of the containment structure will be covered entirely by a leak-proof steel liner. At the end of 2008 steam generation plant, dome construction and grid interconnect were complete and construction was progressing smoothly.

Chashma Nuclear Power Plant III & IV

On April 28, 2009 a general engineering and design contract for CHASNUPP-3 and CHASNUPP-4 was signed with Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research and Design Institute. The units will both have generation capacity of 340MWe and a design life of 40 years. Much of the design work has already been completed by SNERDI in anticipation to meet lead-time requirements.

Training center

The complex has its own training establishment, known as CHASCENT (CHASNUPP Center of Nuclear Training). CHASCENT houses a Full Scope Training Simulator (FSTS) for CHASNUPP-1 and a similar facility for CHASNUPP-2 is under construction. The simulator is used for providing training to the nuclear power plant operators. Apart from training nuclear plant operators the center offers various engineering programs at diploma and degree levels. The center is currently in a phase of expansion to cater to an ever-increasing demand for quality technicians and engineers within PAEC.

Sorry to disappoint

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chashma_Nuclear_Power_Complex

 

[Bullhead]

@deathfromabove.

Did you actually understand the article.

It talks about "Pakistan not getting India like deal with US"...Because some reasons....and the reasons are also mentioned in the article itself.

Lot to do with Pakistan...than to do with India and US.

Read Again.

 

[oceanx]

It'll come with time.

The first step is to restore stability and return to economic growth in Pakistan. The US official is correct that NPP's are expensive, so I am not certain that Pakistan could take advantage of a nuclear deal at the moment even if it did get one, beyond the Chinese offering their traditional 'flexible financing options'.

The important thing for now is that the dialog has been started on the issue, but Pakistan must show progress on several fronts before a nuclear deal is feasible.

Could not agree more - all in due time, in due course.