China to help Pak build 300-mwt nuclear plant

With US refusal to extend the India-US deal to Pakistan, Islamabad has been pressuring Beijing to commit for more nuclear power plants.

Just as the US House of Representatives endorsed the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, China was reportedly going to help Pakistan build six 300-megawatt nuclear power plants.

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China will help Pakistan build six 300-mwt nuclear power stations, state-run APP news agency reported citing an article that appeared in China Daily on Thursday.

The China Daily report was mainly about a new $750 million facility being built by the largest Chinese steelmaker Baosteel Group for making special steel, which is meant for emerging needs for industries such as nuclear power.

"China now has 11 nuclear power stations with a total capacity of 8,700 megawatts. According to a national plan provided in 2004, China will build another 40 nuclear power units by 2020. It is also going to help Pakistan build six 300-megawatt nuclear power stations," the Chinese daily said.

China has built one 350-mwt power plant at Chiasma in Pakistan and was currently building one more at the same place with the same capacity.

With US refusal to extend the India-US deal to Pakistan, Islamabad has been pressuring Beijing to commit for more nuclear power plants.

China also helped Pakistan to build a 50-mwt reactor facility at Khushab, according to a recent report in The Washington Post. The US daily said Pakistan is expanding the facility to build a 1000-mwt Plutonium reactor.

The new reactors were part of ongoing cooperation between the two countries to develop their energy resources.

The China Daily report quoted Xie Wei, general manager of Baosteel's special steel branch, as saying that the high-intensity steel products are meant for the emerging needs of industries such as aerospace, nuclear power, and oil and gas prospecting.