China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has completed cold functional testing at unit 2 of the Karachi nuclear power plant (Kanupp) in Pakistan.
The two units (2&3) under construction at Kanupp are the first exports of China’s Hualong One reactor design.
Cold functional testing at Karachi 2&3 involved checking some 7200 welds and 800 mechanical connection points within the test boundary for leaks on seven pressure platforms, CNNC said. All indicators met the acceptance criteria, and installation quality and performance meet design requirements.
Completion of the cold test on 2 December was overseen by the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority and the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. It marks the completion of the main work of the nuclear island installation and the start of the system commissioning stage, CNNC said.
Hot testing will follow, then first fuel loading and finally grid-connected power generation.
Construction of Karachi 2 began in 2015 and unit 3 in 2016 for commercial operation in 2021 and 2022. Currently, four Hualong One units are being built in China - two at Fuqing NPP in Fujian province, and two at Fangchenggang NPP in Guangxi – all scheduled for commercial operation in 2019-2020.
