KARACHI, Dec 20: The Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (Kanupp) will be brought back in operation by the middle of next year, when it will be able to provide 80-100 megawatt electricity to the KESC grid.

Kanupp, operated by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), is the first nuclear power plant in Pakistan. It completed its 30 years design life on Dec 5 this year.

It has an unblemished record of 30 years of safe operation recognized by various reviews carried out by the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) and a number of international atomic energy agencies. In spite of many challenges and restrictions imposed by the supplier countries, the plant was kept operating safely by embarking on a well-planned programme initiated by the PAEC.

During the first 15 years of plant life, attention focused mainly on keeping the plant operational by producing the nuclear fuel endogenously and by maintaining the plant system and equipment through development of the needed know-how and a capability to produce spares and parts. This made the continued operation of the plant possible without any vendor support.

On the basis of operation experience, the PAEC initiated various projects to combat aging problems and for safety upgrades of the plant during its design life and to judge if it could be operated safely beyond its design life.

The experience gained in the operation and maintenance of the plant, Kanupp demonstrated a continuous improvement in its performance. Due to these efforts during the past three years, the plant availability was around 70 per cent.

The plant was shut down on the completion of its 30 years’ life on Dec 5 to meet the re-licensing requirement of the PNRA. On the day it was shut down the plant had achieved an availability factor of 80 per cent during the calendar year, says a PAEC press release.

During this shutdown, important plant modifications/ retrofits will be carried out to bring the plant closer to the current safety standards while some aging and obsolete system will also be replaced or refurbished. When the plant restarts operation, its power will be derated to 80 per cent of its design power. — PPI