Pak to set up analysis centre to ensure nuke reactors' safety

Pakistan government will set up a National Safety Analysis Centre to ensure the safety of two nuclear reactors to be built at the Chashma site, a media report said.

Pakistan government will set up a National Safety Analysis Centre to ensure the safety of two nuclear reactors to be built at the Chashma site, a media report said on Friday.

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The NSAC will provide technical support to the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority to ensure the safety of Chashma-3 and Chashma-4 nuclear power projects.

A 325-MW nuclear plant being built at Chashma is expected to be completed by 2010-11. Two more units of 325 MW have been "conceptually cleared" by the Central Development Working Party, the Daily Times newspaper reported.

Pakistan plans to build the two new reactors with Chinese assistance but it is still not clear how it will get clearance from the International Atomic Energy Agency and Nuclear Suppliers Group for such cooperation.

According to a Planning and Development Division working paper presented in a Central Development Working Party meeting on Thursday, the NSAC will cost Rs 463 million, including Rs 100 million in foreign exchange, the report said.

According to a brief description of the project in the working paper, the NSAC will provide technical support to PNRA by performing safety analyses in regulating the nuclear power programme.

It will carry out accident analysis, stress analysis, computational fluid dynamics, fluid-induced vibration analysis and structural and seismic analysis for nuclear power plants.