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After the crisis at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plants, many countries are re-assessing the safety and operations of their nuclear plants and facilities.
Currently there are three nuclear power plants in Pakistan namely KANUPP at Karachi and CHASNUPP-1 and CHASNUPP-2 at Chashma near Mianwali in Punjab and a small swimming pool reactor at Nilor, Islamabad which is dedicated for research and studies.
Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) is a prime agency dedicated to the safety, radiation protection and regularisation of the nuclear establishment, especially the nuclear power plants. The authority was undertaken many steps to safeguard the plants and nuclear establishments.
The first one is the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP) which has a horizontal pressure tube reactor that runs on heavy water moderator and uses natural uranium. It was designed to generate 137 MWe with a net output of 125MWe.
KANUPP started its commercial operations in 1972 and completed its designated 30 years and was shut down in December 2002. Then after several upgrades PNRA allowed the plant to generate 90 MWe power.
KANUPP is located along the Arabian Sea coast, just 11 miles west of Karachi.
The Chashma Nuclear Power Plant 1 (CHASNUPP 1) was given the grid connections in May 2000 and began its full commercial operation in September 2000.
CHASNUPP 1 is located in the Punjab province near the Chashma Barrage. It is a single unit and two-loop pressuris,ed water reactor (PWR) with nuclear steam supply system, with a capacity to produce 300 MWe.
The third is the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant 2 or CHASNUPP-2 which is also located next to CHASNUPP-1 in Punjab and has the capacity to produce 300 MWe.
The spokesman of PNRA, Zaheer Ayub Baig stated that the main reason behind the damage of the Fukushima plant was flooding of site due to a tsunami.
The flooding resulted in the unavailability of emergency diesel generators that provide electricity for the pumps and other systems required for the removal of heat from the reactor core. The off-site power sources were already badly damaged by the earthquake and no off-site power was available.
Since KANUPP in Karachi is located along the coast, it faces the threat of a possible tsunami. KANUPP has been built and designed according to a tsunami or an earthquake threat. The tsunami of 1945 which killed more than 4,000 people was considered during the design process.
The historical Tsunami of Makran
The tsunami of 1945 was generated as a result of an earthquake in Makran and Gwadar area (about 350 to 400 km from Karachi) which also hit the coastal areas of Karachi. However, due the distance of the city from Makran, the height of tsunami waves were reduced to about 4m while KANUPP plant is built 6m above the sea level.
The shores of Makran are still vulnerable to tsunamis and earthquakes due to the presence of three very active tectonic plates namely, the Arabian, Eurasian and Indian plates.
Baig also added that further studies are being carried out by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission in this regard as per requirement of PNRA.
Baig further added that fortunately, the geographical location of Karachi is such that a natural curve is formed near the sea shore, as a result, the possibility for a tsunami generated in Indian Ocean to hit the Karachi site is quite remote.
Nevertheless, Baig told Dawn.com that the PNRA has asked Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) to re-visit and re-assess the effectiveness and reliability of the design, analysis, emergency operating and management procedures, and operators’ training system of its nuclear power plants in the light of what has happened at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
PNRA has also asked the PAEC to enhance the scope of its off-site emergency response exercises by involving the public residing in the nearby region so that the citizens are aware of emergency procedures.
“PNRA is continuously monitoring the situation of Fukushima. PNRA is also conducting environmental surveillance in Islamabad, Karachi and Chashma to identify any change in the natural radiation level. So far, no change in the radiation level has been observed,” Baig added.
