1,000MW reactors to raise China's capability
Source : The News Date : May 31, 2013
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People's Republic of China is rapidly moving towards the goal of building up greater vessels of up to 1,000MW capacity for atomic reactors as compared with its present limited-capacity reactors of 300MW each two of which were already operational in Pakistan at Chashma.
This information was revealed to this scribe during a visit to China some time back when meetings were held with a number of Chinese functionaries and scientists from various fields including the seniors of MCC, China’s most prestigious metallurgical corporation.
Thus far, this higher capacity of building vessels beyond 300MW generation capability, especially in the range of 1000MW, was available exclusively to the Western countries including the US, Britain and France.
The Chinese scientists accepted this challenge and subsequently took the initiative to address this limited-capacity issue and now they have taken many steps forward on the track of high-capacity reactors matching the capabilities of Western N-powers which means success of People’s Republic of China in coming at par with other nuclear powers in the area of generation through high-capacity reactors.
The news of this latest advancement on the part of Chinese scientists has been well received in almost all the social, business and political circles in Pakistan obviously because of close, time-tested Sino-Pak ties that have tended to grow to the mutual benefit of people of both the friendly countries. Already, there was considerable cooperation going on between Pakistan and China in the area of defence (defence production in particular), a fact known to the entire world.
And, now there is strong likelihood of yet greater cooperation coming from Chinese friends in the wake of the recent Pakistan visit of Chinese prime minister when the point of Pak-China civil nuclear deal was highlighted in all the prominent forums and above all, in political circles, even at the level of the would-be Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mian Nawaz Sharif.
Islamabad is confident that China would go beyond its pledges to salvage Pakistan out of its acute energy crisis and issues like civil nuclear deal of higher-capacity would definitely be taken up with the Chinese government by the forthcoming Nawaz Sharif government.
Already, civil nuclear deal is in place in the form of already operational Chashma-I & II and in the form of upcoming Chashma III & IV.
In this area in particular, Pakistan could not get any cooperation from the US which, however, chose to give preference to India for whatever reasons.
As for Chinese collaboration and support in many areas including the handling of Gwadar Port, production of JF-17 Thunder aircraft and other projects, China was also helping Pakistan in the exploration of mineral resources besides doing trade in some metals.
One of the provinces of China was importing iron ore from Pakistan.
That information came as a surprise to this scribe for the reason that it would be normally thought that Pakistan was just an importer of iron ore.
This information was further confirmed from Tariq Saadat, a local businessman dealing in voluminous metals trade at international level.
Source: http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-6-180694-1%2c000MW-reactors-to-raise-China%20s-capability