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An advanced nuclear reactor developed by China has started up in Pakistan, making it the second unit of its kind in operation in the country and fourth overall.

An advanced nuclear reactor developed by China has started up in Pakistan, making it the second unit of its kind in operation in the country and fourth overall.

The Karachi nuclear power plant, a three site, installed its second Hualong One reactor and connected the unit to the grid on Friday, according to an announcement by the supplier China National Nuclear Corp., a state-owned enterprise known as CNNC. The reactor will go through a short pilot phase before transitioning to commercial operations.

It has a capacity to produce 1,100 megawatts of power. The first Hualong One reactor at the site went online in March 2021 and began commercial operations in May that year.

The Hualong One is a third-generation pressurized water reactor jointly developed by CNNC and China General Nuclear Power Group. It is said to be a homegrown proprietary design based on a previous model developed by the U.S. and France.

The first Hualong One reactor started up in November 2020 at Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant in China’s Fujian Province. The plant added a second Hualong One reactor that is now in operation.

Pakistan was the first country outside of China to host a reactor using Hualong One technology, underscoring the vital role the South Asian country plays in China’s Belt and Road initiative.

At present about 10 Hualong One reactors are being built in China, according to local media. Overseas, CNNC signed a deal in February to build a Hualong One in Argentina. Another construction project is moving forward in the U.K.

China is fast developing and building reactors to lower carbon emissions. Under President Xi Jinping, the government plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Nuclear reactors form a central part of Beijing’s “Made in China 2025” industrial modernization plan launched in 2015.

Source: Nikkei Asia

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