The pressure vessel for unit 3 of Pakistan's Karachi nuclear power plant was put in place on 5 September, China National Nuclear Corporation announced.
The development marked Karachi 3’s entry into the "full installation phase of key components". The pressure vessel for the Chinese-supplied Hualong One reactor was designed by China Nuclear Power Research & Design Institute and manufactured by China First Heavy Machinery Company Limited.
The RPV installation came after the unit's three steam generators had been put in place. CNNC said all four components had been installed within 19 days, providing "a useful reference for the construction of other similar power stations". They were installed using CNNC's new method using an E-frame to "flip" the components, which increases efficiency and safety, reduces labour intensity and minimises the chance of human error, compared with the traditional "fixed bracket" method. This is part of CNNC’s "pre-introduction" construction method - where the main reactor equipment is installed before the dome of the containment building, which was first used in a reactor of this type at Karachi 2, also a Hualong One reactor.
Construction of Karachi 2 began in 2015 and Karachi 3 in 2016. The units are scheduled for commercial operation in 2021 and 2022.
