Pakistan's Kushab 2 nuclear reactor likely in operation

[TaimiKhan]

a good read: ASIAN DEFENCE: Update on Khushab Plutonium Production Reactor Construction Projects in Pakistan

 

[Spring Onion]

Old news, Old google pic, Old propaganda. Renewed Indian attacks in the wake of ongoing Pak-US talks.

Period.

 

[Icarus]

Now if we can also strike a civil nuke deal with the U.S, our problems will be solved...............................

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Some good comments on the Ad site mentioned by Taimi that should serve to clarify some FAQ's.

In 1985, Pakistan atomic energy commission began work on a small nuclear reactor at Khushab called K-1. It is a natural uranium fuelled, heavy water moderated design. As it was designed by a Pakistani Nuclear engineer Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood so it is outside the International Atomic Agency’s safeguards system, this 50 to 70 MWth reactor and was meant for producing plutonium for Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. The reactor was reportedly completed in 1996.In 998 USA confirmed that this reactor is operational. Pakistan turned to China for a larger nuclear power plant which is built at Chashma for the electricity generation and this reactor is under IAEA supervision. Agreement for Chashma reactor between Pakistan and the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) was reached in late 1989, with the final contract signed in Beijing on 31 December 1991 and was approved on 19 June 1992 by IAEA.​

Khushab-I was used to produce Plutonium and tritium which is to boost fission warheads and to further develop and enhance Pakistan's capability to build thermonuclear weapons.​

Yes K-2 and K-3 will be outside the IAEA safeguards and will be used for the production of plutonium and tritium. Even though ISIS claimed that these reactors could be as capable as 1000MW but their claim was denied by Pakistan and challenged by US. Both K-2 and K-3 are most likely to be in range of 150 to 200MW thus able to provide two to three times the platinum of K-I. At the same time large size of reactor vessel these could be upgraded to higher capacities.

If new Khushab reactors operates at 200 megawatts-thermal each then each reactors could produce enough plutonium for 8-10 nuclear weapons per year. The first Khushab reactor’s plutonium production capacity is about 2-3 nuclear weapons per year.​

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

The original article by Paul Brannan is here:

Institute for Science and International Security › ISIS Reports › Pakistan › Steam Emitted From Second Khushab Reactor Cooling Towers; Pakistan May Be Operating Second Reactor

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Old news, Old google pic, Old propaganda. Renewed Indian attacks in the wake of ongoing Pak-US talks.

Period.

The start of the Khushab-2 reactor would be new news Jana, and I doubt the US would be negatively influenced by this news given that they are unlikely to immediately accept Pakistan's request for an exemption from the NSG.

If nothing else, the knowledge that Pakistan continues to expand its military nuclear program and increase warheads becasue of regional instability should only spur the US to get serious about engaging with Pakistan on a variety of fronts, if only to try and use 'carrots' to get Pakistan to scale back on its military nuclear program, as unlikely as it may seem.

 

[TaimiKhan]

Well such nuclear plants are a good thing. They can invest in the plant, sell the extra electricity, finance further projects for themselves as well as cover the already invested cost, and keep producing weapon grade material also.

Dual use, electricity for the people, will generate money for themselves to further finance more projects from in house resources and be a part of the nuke weapons program.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Both K-2 and K-3 are most likely to be in range of 150 to 200MW

It would be interesting to know the actual size of Khushab-2 and Khushab-3. If they are indeed approaching 200MW, then Pakistan is not that far off from designing its own 300+ MW reactors to generate electricity.

Of course getting an NSG exemption would allow us to do so quicker and move towards light water reactors under international safeguards vs the heavy water reactors, without safeguards, that generate so much material for nuclear warheads ...

 

[Spring Onion]

The start of the Khushab-2 reactor would be new news Jana, and I doubt the US would be negatively influenced by this news given that they are unlikely to immediately accept Pakistan's request for an exemption from the NSG.

If nothing else, the knowledge that Pakistan continues to expand its military nuclear program and increase warheads becasue of regional instability should only spur the US to get serious about engaging with Pakistan on a variety of fronts, if only to try and use 'carrots' to get Pakistan to scale back on its military nuclear program, as unlikely as it may seem.

Agno if you go back this propaganda was started in the past too with same notion smoke emitting from Khushab reactor/s saying it has been operational

Indians are desperate to spread the view that Pakistan is expanding its nuke progarm hence no need to give Pakistan further facilities.

The rules of NTP and NSG have already been violated in favour of Bharat(India) hence crying by India in this regard is and would be laughable.

When in the past everyone was opposing US nuke deal for India, i would use to say let them have it because it is going to open the way for other nations to have the same sooner or later.

 

[DaRk WaVe]

Pakistan doubling nuclear-bomb capacity: Reports​

As the Obama Administration concluded its two-day strategic dialogue with Pakistan, a report prepared by the Washington based Institute for Science and international security says Islamabad may be operating a second nuclear reactor under the country's nuclear weapons programme.

The report cites GoogleEarth satellite images showing steam distorting the view of some cooling tower fan blades at the second plutonium production reactor at Khushab, which indicates that the reactor is in some state of initial operation such as a power start-up.

Only a few nations in the world have nuclear production capability, the start-up operation of the second Khushab reactor, leading to a possible doubling of plutonium output in Pakistan, is significant.

The report also said that Pakistan had started constructing the Khushab-II reactor back in 2002 and in 2007 construction activity for a third reactor was noticed in satellite images.

"For many years all Pakistan had was its uranium enrichment programme. Sometime in 2002, Pakistan began building a second reactor and then again sometime around 2006-07, Pakistan began building a third reactor at Khushabh. So what we are seeing here is a really massive expansion of Pakistan's plutonium production programme. And the issue here is that Pakistan does not really need a new reactor as it has a unranium enrichment programme and a plutonium production programme," said Paul Brannan, Senior Analyst, ISIS, Washington, DC.

Pakistan doubling nuclear-bomb capacity: Reports

 

[Spring Onion]

NDTV we know Indians are runing from here to there.

These fools dont know how to wait and look for the outcome of the talks. No nuke deal from US to Pakistan is likely so soon

 

[Mallu]

Agno if you go back this propaganda was started in the past too with same notion smoke emitting from Khushab reactor/s saying it has been operational

Indians are desperate to spread the view that Pakistan is expanding its nuke progarm hence no need to give Pakistan further facilities.

The rules of NTP and NSG have already been violated in favour of Bharat(India) hence crying by India in this regard is and would be laughable.

When in the past everyone was opposing US nuke deal for India, i would use to say let them have it because it is going to open the way for other nations to have the same sooner or later.

Pakistan is welcome to to Have such a deal
Best of Luck

 

[Windjammer]

 

[ajpirzada]

Khushab-I was used to produce Plutonium and tritium which is to boost fission warheads and to further develop and enhance Pakistan's capability to build thermonuclear weapons.

so we were already making plutonium?

 

[Windjammer]

so we were already making plutonium?

A Military ruler no matter how good or efficient he may be, sticks out like a sore thumb but under the umbrella of democracy countries get away with murder. Rumours of Taimur being a multi warhead weapon system have been circulating for some time while there were other reports claiming that Pakistan has redefined nuclear war heads to engage tactical battle field targets.