(Karachi) Prime Minister Imran Khan has inaugurated the Karachi nuclear power plant unit 2 (K-2) on Friday.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony virtually, Imran said that the project will help to train manpower and facilitate technology transfer from China. "Energy is important for Pakistan and such projects in the era of global warming are like a blessing," the prime minister said.

He said the power plant will help in educating the youth technically.

He said Pakistan is celebrating 70 years of diplomatic relations with China. "It is a very unique relationship and it extends to all levels," he stated.

The premier added that China will stand with Pakistan in all difficult times. He pointed out it is fortunate that Pakistan has deep-rooted and strong ties with an emerging power and a developed country like China.

The K-2 Nuclear Power Plant is a state-of-the-art generation III nuclear power plant equipped with state-of-the-art safety and security arrangements with 1,100-megawatt power capacity. This includes internal and external security and accident prevention as well as emergency prevention and response capabilities.

The operational period of this plant is 60 years, extendable for another 20 years. The availability factor of this plant and (capacity factor) is better and fuel consumption is longer.

The construction of the plant began in November 2013 and after formal approval from the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA), nuclear fuel was installed on December 1, 2020. The technical test portal, which included various tests, was connected to the national grid at the end of February and on March 18, 2021, to gradually increase power generation.

Six nuclear power plants are operating under the management of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. Two nuclear power plants are located near the coast of Karachi.

So far Pakistan's power generation from nuclear sources is about 1,400 MW. After the inauguration of K-2, with an increase of 1,100 MW, it will almost double. The K-3 nuclear power plant with the same production capacity is still in the final stage of installation and is expected to generate electricity early next year after undergoing the commissioning process.