Pakistan Nuclear Power Fuel Complex

For the Indian nuclear complex, see Nuclear Fuel Complex.

The Pakistan Nuclear Power Fuel Complex (PNPFC), also known as Chemical Reprocessing Plant (CrP), is a nuclear energy and reprocessing industrial complex for the PWR-type reactors.[1] The NPFC-I is a dual purpose nuclear power plant, with a net capacity of 1000MWe, located 175 km south of Islamabad.[1] The reactor is designed for converting U3O8 to natural UF6, and enriched UF6 into UO2 powder, then converted depleted UF6 into depleted uranium metal and produced Zircon Ingot.[1] The PNPFC is ingeniously constructed by the PAEC under the IAEA terms as IAEA is funding this megaproject.[2]

IAEA role

In 1978, the PAEC had built its own dual purpose nuclear reprocessing plant, near at Nilore, and it is known as The New Labs. Since, then the PAEC has built an extensive nuclear infrastructure in the country, under the direction of Munir Ahmad Khan. The Pakistan Nuclear Power Fuel Complex is being built for the production of nuclear fuel for the nuclear power plants to generate energy. The PNPFC is under IAEA safeguards and managed separately from Pakistan's nuclear weapons facilities. It has 1000MW capacity and, since 2009, the 90% of work on the plant is complete and it should supply fuel in late 2010.[3] Cost of the Pakistan Nuclear Power Fuel Complex (PNPFC) was originally estimated at Rs. 51.298 billion. The complex will fabricate fuel for local nuclear power plants, in particular for the reactors at Chashma Nuclear Power Complex. The Nuclear Power Fuel Facility comprises Chemical Processing Plants, Nuclear reprocessing plant, an Enrichment Plant, a Seamless Tube Plant; a Fuel Fabrication Plant; and a Nuclear Fuel Testing Facility. [4]

For information on Pakistani nuclear power reactors, see the articles Chashma Nuclear Power Complex and Karachi Nuclear Power Plant.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Boureston, Jack (June 2008). "Understand Pakistan's Energy Security Needs and Role of Nuclear Energy" (google docs). South Asian Strategic Stability Institute. South Asian Strategic Stability Institute. Retrieved 2011.
  2. ↑ "Nuclear power generation".
  3. ↑ "Nuclear Power in Pakistan". World-nuclear.org. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
  4. ↑

External links