Pakistan is currently ranked 22nd out of 25 countries on the Nuclear Materials Safety Index in terms of safety and security and is placed above India.

India’s nuclear regulatory authority/board is not an independent body and works under its atomic energy commission. The authority presently operates 21 nuclear power plants with seven under construction and another 20 planned.

However, a raging controversy continues to surround the recently launched Coastal Nuclear Power Project of two new reactors each of 1,100 MWe capacity near Karachi. Serious issues raised by the critics are: One, it is claimed that nuclear power generation is not the best option. This is not borne out by the recent global expansion in nuclear power generating capacity. Currently, nuclear power generation, with 374,411 MWe capacity, has 15 pc share in world energy mix, while 73 reactors are currently under construction in 15 countries.

Advantages of nuclear power generated electricity include low per unit cost of generation, all-year-round availability, and no emission of greenhouse gases, besides it being critically important from a strategic point of view. Two, it is said that the selection of the project site has not complied with the rules and regulations. Again, there is lack of understanding on this point. The Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) has registered the site in February last year based on documents submitted by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) including site evaluation report, management system during siting, NOC from Sindh EPA, whereas project’s construction licence is still under consideration.

A comprehensive study has been carried out, within IAEA parameters, taking into account all identified seismic faults around the site. Maximum earthquake potential for the site is 0.2g (unit of shaking or acceleration), whereas plant design has double containment structure with enhanced value of 0.3g, which could sustain an earthquake of about eight magnitude. The site has been evaluated against tsunami as well.

Third, it is feared to be unsafe for Karachi’s residents in the backdrop of accident at the Fukushima power plant. A major accident is defined as one in which the reactor core is damaged and fission products may penetrate into the containment. Nuclear safety record world over is impressive and three accidents took place during the long history of 60 years’ operating NPPs-at the Three Mile Island (US) in 1979, Chernobyl (Russia) in 1986 and Fukushima (Japan) in 2011. Comparatively, there have been more disasters in coal mining, oil and gas explosions and dam failures. In fact, nuclear is the safest means of power generation.

Again, full facts about nuclear accidents are not mentioned by the critics. There was no release of radioactivity, and therefore no negative health effects, in the Three Mile Island accident.

The Chernobyl plant had poor design as there was no containment structure provided around the reactor. Likewise, evacuation, and not radiation, was the issue in case of Fukushima, where, primarily, failure of emergency power system resulted in catastrophe. Pumps and valves needed to provide a steady flow of cooling water could not operate due to emergency power failure resulting in radioactive fuel overheating and remaining water boiling away which caused meltdown of the core.

The advanced design of reactors takes care of this possibility. A number of measures post-Fukushima have been taken by PNRA towards greater integration in the areas of safety and security through sharing international experiences and expertise, so as to minimise major accidents. And at the same time, emergency planning and preparedness has been strengthened at the national level.

In the backdrop of massive and persistent electricity load-shedding that has crippled the national economy, implementation of the nuclear power expansion programme will help reviving it on a sustainable basis. This will result in creating job opportunities, developing infrastructure and, more importantly, mitigating social unrest.

The opposition to the nuclear project has surged ignoring the fact that Pakistan has impeccable record of safety and security in operating NPPs for over 40 years, as it follows best practices and standards set by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The Authority issues, from time to time, regulations for implementation and performance of obligations both by public and power sector installations. In areas where PNRA regulations are not yet available, latest US Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s regulations are made applicable. The IAEA-Pakistan Security Cooperation Programme is being implemented effectively, while PNRA officials have assisted the IAEA in as many as 56 expert missions to other countries.

Engr Hussain Ahmad Siddiqui is retired Chairman of the State Engineering Corporation