Pakistan will set up a Chemical Processing Plant (CPP) and Nuclear Fuel Enrichment Plant (NFEP) costing Rs 37 billion, including Rs 12.5 billion foreign exchange component (FEC), official sources told Business Recorder.
The establishment of these two plants is part of Pakistan's 25-year plan to generate 8800 MW electricity to meet the future growing energy needs, sources said, quoting Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) Chairman as having said in a briefing. They said that 'CPP Phase-1', to be set up in the 'Nuclear Power Fuel Complex' (PNPFC), stipulates attainment of indigenous capability in manufacturing basic feed materials of the 'Enrichment Plant for Nuclear Reactors (EPNR), 'Fuel Fabrication Plant' (FFP) and 'Seamless Tube Plant-I (STP-I), and added that, funded through PSDP, the project would be set up in two phases.
Phases-1 envisages a capacity of 400 tons per annum (TPA), natural UF-6 gas, 40 TPA enriched UO-2 powder, and 30 TPA Zr-4 ingots with the prime objective of developing indigenous capability for fabrication of pressurised water reactors (PWR), fuel technology, sources said.
However, with the installation of additional NPPS, the CPP capacity would have to be increased accordingly during Phase-II. They said that PAEC would also set up 150 tons per annum nuclear enrichment plant to feed fuel for nuclear power generation reactor whose further extension will be phased in other three stages.
"Each phase will span over 5-6 years, in which one module will be set up, having the capacity to enrich about 150 tons per year feed natural gas, and a separative power of 100 tons SWU kg per annum," sources added. The project, to be funded through PSDP, has been approved by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) with some clarifications from PAEC Chairman.
Sources said that initially the government did not agree with the cost of the project, and directed PAEC Chairman to justify its financial viability.
It had also been emphasised that element of subsidy, if any, must be stated upfront to be presented to the Prime Minister and Finance Ministry. Later on, PAEC Chairman cleared the misconception after presenting project documents to the Prime Minister and Finance Ministry.