Pakistan plans to import the latest Chinese nuclear technology, a senior government official from Pakistan said on Wednesday.
"Pakistan is in discussions with Chinese companies for imports of the third-generation nuclear technology," said Mir Changez Khan Jamali, Pakistan's minister of science and technology.
The minister said that he hoped the latest technology can be acquired by Pakistan in one or two years.
China has helped with two reactors at Pakistan's Chashma nuclear power plant, both of which use second-generation technology.
Pakistan has a third 300-megawatt (mW) reactor under construction at Chashma, financed by China. There are plans for more Chinese reactors in Pakistan, according to the World Nuclear Association.
China is developing its first domestic third-generation nuclear reactor - the CAP 1400 - which is based on Westinghouse Electric Co's AP1000 pressurized water reactor, and it will boost the unit's generating capacity to 1,400 mW from 1,154 mW.
Construction of the first CAP1400 unit is scheduled to start in Rongcheng, Shandong province, in 2013.
CAP 1400 is an indigenous technology, with intellectual property rights owned by the State Nuclear Power Technology Corp under an agreement with Westinghouse.
Preliminary designs for the technology will be completed by the end of this year. But preparations for the construction of the first CAP 1400 unit, which were due to start this year, were delayed after the Fukushima nuclear incident in March.
Following the Japanese nuclear leak, the Chinese government announced that it would suspend approvals for nuclear power stations and conduct full safety checks of all nuclear projects, including those under construction.
Despite safety concerns, industry participants are still committed to nuclear energy.
Source:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/m/dalian/2011-09/15/content_13704465.htm 
