By Interaction Desk
Everything about Nuclear is not bad, there are numerous benefits of nuclear energy and Pakistan is actively working towards harnessing those beneficial uses, so much so that a Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) was founded for this purpose only.
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) is the pioneer government agency which was established to oversee the peaceful uses of nuclear technology in the country. It was established to contribute to Pakistan’s overall economic development through the utilization of nuclear energy in various public fields. These include; medical diagnosis/therapy, agricultural production, nuclear energy for power generation, and some other functions that involve peaceful uses of nuclear technology.
One of the initial challenges which PAEC had to overcome was to develop human resource in nuclear science which was nonexistent and that time. To achieve this task, PAEC in 1970’s sent a large number of professional abroad to develop not only its human resource but also to establish its training and education centers. Today PAEC is pursuing Research & Development in scientific fields including Basics & Applied Sciences, Food, Agriculture & Biotechnology, Human Health, Energy & Industry (Engineering).
Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science & Technology PINSTECH
The Research & Development program of Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science & Technology PINSTECH is multidisciplinary in nature which includes chemical, material, physical and environmental in nature: radioisotopes production & applications & research reactors. It has the most advanced research facilities and with sophisticated equipment’s and qualified professionals.
Nuclear Institute of Agriculture (NIA)
The first institute of PAEC established in 1962 in Sindh in the field of agriculture is Atomic Energy Agriculture Research Center (AERC). The main purpose was to make peaceful uses of nuclear technology in agriculture. It was upgraded as Nuclear Institute of Agriculture (NIA) in 1998. At present, research is being carried out in the fields of plant breeding and genetics, plant protection, soil science and plant physiology
Nuclear Institute of Agriculture & Biology (NIAB)
The Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB), Faisalabad was formally inaugurated in 1972. NIAB has facilities and expertise for utilization of nuclear and other modern techniques in agriculture and biology to solve the problems of crop production and conservation. The institute has well-equipped laboratories having facilities such as Cobalt-60 irradiation sources (Mark-IV irradiator and Gamma Cell 220), radiation measuring instruments, gas chromatographs, atomic absorption, ultra violet and infra-red spectrophotometers. A well- staffed workshop, comprising shops for electronics, air conditioning, electricity, glass-blowing, carpentry and metal work is also operational at the Institute.
Nuclear Institute for Food & Agriculture (NIFA)
The Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) was established in 1982, in Peshawar, with the objective of carrying out research on the development of improved techniques for increasing the yield of important food crops and the development of the package technologies for Conservation of agricultural produce in the country. Currently, it is actively involved in research in the areas of Crop Breeding, Soil Science, Entomology and Food Science.
The major research facilities at NIFA include Cobalt-60 radiation source, radiation measuring equipment (gamma radiation counters, dosimeters, gamma survey meters, etc.) and a number of large and medium scale machines for food processing and product development.
National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE)
NIBGE is one of the main biotechnology institutes of the four bioscience centers of PAEC. It was formally inaugurated by the President of Pakistan in 1994. It is also an affiliate center of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB). The institute is the focal point of modern biotechnology and provides a technology receiving unit to help developments in the country through applications of modern biotechnology and genetic engineering. The research programs at NIBGE are mainly aimed at improving agriculture, health, environment and industry and are supported by national and international financial grants. The institute’s research facilities include state-of-the-art equipment supported by technical services, IT facility and a National Library for Biological Sciences. The institute now offers several services and marketable products. The educational programs leading to M. Phil and PhD degrees have also been incorporated in the institute’s mandate for the development of human resources in modern sciences.
National Institute of Lasers and Optronics (NILOP)
In order to create a central facility of lasers for research and development in lasers and laser based technology and to facilitate universities for research in this important area of Physics, a National Institute of Lasers and Optronics (NILOP) was planned as a central facility in this field. It started functioning in January 2007.The major objectives of NILOP are to establish a world class institute in emerging areas of laser and photonics, develop close collaboration with universities for R&D and design, and fabricate a wide range of laser systems for medical, agricultural and industrial application.
NILOP has been successful in delivering several products and facilities including the indigenously developed Laser and Land Leveler system which is not only cost efficient but also user friendly
Human Health
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) since its inception is playing a vital role in the health sector of Pakistan. The Commission is the pioneer in using the nuclear and other advanced techniques for diagnosis and treatment of cancerous and allied diseases and is actively involved in the national cancer awareness, prevention, and diagnosis and treatment program. PAEC is putting a lot of emphasis on peaceful applications of nuclear energy in the medical sector and has so far established 15 nuclear medicine and oncology (cancer) hospitals throughout the country, whereas 5 new cancer hospitals are in different phases of construction in different cities. The PAEC nuclear medical centers are equipped with excellent facilities supervised by trained professional medical and para-medical staff. The contribution of PAEC through its integrated program in diagnosis of different kind of cancer and allied diseases and their treatment has received considerable acclaim in the public.
Cancer Awareness & Prevention
Besides the diagnosis and treatment, the cancer awareness and prevention in the community have been the objectives of PAEC. Breast care clinics have been established at each nuclear medical center. In this regard, a campaign has already been launched for breast cancer awareness, which includes the distribution of printed material, lectures to the doctors, medical & paramedical staff, lady health visitors, and students in colleges and universities.
Several events such as Smoking Quit Day, World Cancer Day, World Child Care Day, and World Breast Cancer Day etc. are arranged annually with the collaboration of WHO, UICC etc, for the awareness and prevention of cancer.
Cancer Control Programme
National Cancer Research Centre (NCRC)
To supervise and harmonize the work of all PAEC cancer hospitals a separate Directorate of Medical Sciences has been established along with an office of the National Cancer Research Center (NCRC) at PAEC Headquarters, Islamabad. This Directorate also collaborates with the non-PAEC cancer hospitals in Pakistan, international agencies and hospitals all over the world for research and development programs. It also coordinates activities with cancer hospitals in Pakistan to establish the National Cancer Registry Program (NCRP).
Cancer Registry
PAEC cancer registry program is already established in its hospitals and medical centers and the data is being materialized which shows that the most prevalent cancer in the country is head and neck cancer and breast cancer in males and females.
Program of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT)
Pakistan has recently applied to IAEA for inclusion in the IAEA Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT). This world-wide program seeks to provide assistance and professional advice to each participating country for enhancement and strengthening of national cancer care and treatment programs.
4.1 Energy Resources
Pakistan’s Energy Resources
Pakistan’s energy resources consist of fossil fuels (coal, gas and oil), uranium and renewable energy (hydropower, wind, solar, wood etc). Pakistan does not have adequate oil reserves and has to import large quantities of crude oil and petroleum products to meet 80% of its oil requirements. The oil and natural gas reserves of the country are limited, the coal reserves are large but yet undeveloped.
The hydro power potential of Pakistan is estimated to be 55,000 MW. Only around 12% of the estimated potential has been exploited so far. The hydro potential is located in mountainous region, away from load centers. High investment cost, losses in electricity transmission; social-political issues such as water allocation among the provinces and resettlement of people are some of the reasons for not exploiting the potential to its full capacity. Pakistan has a considerable potential for wind energy. However, the economically exploitable wind potential is around 50,000 MW. Both wind and solar energy are yet not feasible to provide base-load energy. Energy Policy
The energy sector, to a large extent, has been owned and operated by the Government of Pakistan (Goop). During the last two decades, Goop formulated various policies and programs to reform the energy sector. Besides improving the efficiency of public sector institutions, policies have been made to increase the private sector participation in the development of the energy sector. The legal and institutional framework has been setup for restructuring of energy sector entities owned by the public sector and to create a market in which private companies can work under the regulatory authorities to provide energy/electricity on competitive basis.
The Government of Pakistan formulated the Medium Term Development Framework (MTDF) 2005-10, which translates the vision of long-term (2005-30) sustainable development into a mix of actions and policies to decide the role of public sector in the development process, and to facilitate the private sector to play its role. The Framework identifies issues in the energy sector to design strategies for development and policies for their implementation. The aim of current energy policy is to ensure sustainable supply of energy to all sectors of economy at a competitive price through development of indigenous energy resources (coal, hydro, nuclear and renewables) and reduction in energy import dependence.
Energy Statistics
For the last ten years, the indigenous oil production has been at the level of about 55,000-
70,000 barrels per day (equivalent to about 15-21% of the country’s oil consumption). Pakistan’s
Natural gas production in year 2010-11 amounts to 4,032 million cubic feet per day.
Planned/proposed.
The nuclear power generation contributed 3.6% to the total electricity generation of Pakistan in year 2010-11. At present, the country nuclear plants are contributing 1350MW electricity to national grid. By 21st May 2021when K2 will be operational 1100 MMw shall be added to national grid abd by December 2021 K3 will be completed another 1100 MGW will be added to national grid. It will make Pakistan self -sufficient to its home demand . Plans are ahead to meet the for future demands of the country.
Industry (Engineering)
The Heavy Mechanical Complex-3 (HMC-3) at Axilla is one of the leading organizations in engineering sector of Pakistan with the ultimate goal of self-reliance, indigenization, and import substitution and to provide technical support to the industrial sector in the country. Sophisticated, hi-tech and precise manufacturing distinguish HMC-3 from other organizations.
The main aim of HMC-3 is to enhance the design, manufacturing, inspection and testing capabilities to produce hi-tech equipment, parts and components for upcoming hydel, thermal, nuclear power plants and alternate energy projects, besides meeting the needs of other organizations of the country working in oil and gas, energy and industrial sector.
HMC-3 has state of the art facilities for Fabrication, Forging, Welding, Machining, Testing and Heat Treatment. It is the first engineering establishment that has been certified by the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) to produce Nuclear Safety Class 1, 2 and 3 equipment and components in Pakistan.
NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
PAEC has made significant progress by establishing the indigenous front-end nuclear fuel cycle program and has been fulfilling the requirements of KANUPP-1 (PHWR) since
1974.
The capabilities in Nuclear Fuel Cycle include uranium prospecting & exploration, uranium mining and milling, refining and conversion and radioactive waste management.
Education and Training
PAEC has the following five training Institutes/Centers, which provide academic as well as practical training in diverse areas of nuclear science and engineering:
Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS)
PIEAS is the primary institute of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission for providing education, training and academic R&D in nuclear science and engineering and other areas. This institute started working more than 40 years ago in late sixties when it was called the ‘Reactor School.’ It was affiliated with Quaid-I-As am University, Islamabad at that time. PIEAS is now a degree-awarding institution. PIEAS has a strong faculty of highly qualified scientists and engineers in diverse disciplines of engineering and sciences and more than 60 faculty members have PhD from renowned universities of the world. At present, MS and PhD programs in Nuclear Engineering, Systems Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Physics and Applied Mathematics, Computer Sciences and Medical Sciences are being offered at PIEAS. M Phil in Laser, Plasma and Computational Physics is also offered at PIEAS. Undergraduate BS programs have also been launched in Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. PIEAS is doing R&D work in Nano technology, Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS), Bio Physics, Image Processing, Quantum Optics, Simulation and Modeling, Robotics, Advanced Polymeric Materials, Near Net Shape Fabrication, Computational Fluid Dynamics and Turbo Machinery.
Karachi Institute of Nuclear Power Engineering (KINPOE)
The Karachi Institute of Nuclear Power Engineering (KINPOE) has been established to develop qualified manpower for the nuclear power program of PAEC. Previously, KINPOE functioned as the Karachi Nuclear Power Training Centre (KNPTC). For the first two decades, KNPTC organized one-year post-graduate training program for engineers as well as a one year training program for Diploma Holders, essentially for the operation and maintenance of KANUPP. The academic programs of KNPTC underwent many revisions to increase emphasis on developing better analytical and design skills. In 1993, in addition to the above programs, a master degree program in the field of nuclear power engineering was also started. KINPOE is uniquely qualified for these programs because of its association with KANUPP, which is not just a nuclear power plant but also an R&D center for nuclear power technology in the country.
CHASNUPP Centre of Nuclear Training (CHASCENT)
CHASCENT was established in 1996 and has been producing trained human resource for CHASHMA Nuclear Power Plant- Unit 1 & 2 and more recently for units 3 & 4, as well as for other establishments of PAEC. More than 150 Engineers/Scientists and about 500 Technicians have been trained so far, in nuclear power plant technology. CHASCENT is located adjacent to Chesham Nuclear Power Plant-1 (CHASNUPP-1) at Chesham, 32 km from Mainsail. Currently, two main programs are offered annually. (1) One Year Post Graduate Training Program (for Engineers & Scientists); (2) One Year Post Diploma Training Program (for 3 years diploma holders). Other training programs include: (I) Retraining of Plant Personnel: The retraining of Operation Personnel is conducted on regular basis to refresh their knowledge and licensing requirements; (ii) Licensing of Operators: Main Control Room (MCR) engineers are trained for Shift Engineers (SE) and Shift Supervisor (SS) licensing examination and examined on Full Scope Training Simulator (FSTS).
National Centre for Non-Destructive Testing (NCNDT)
The NCNDT was established formally in 1995, but the NDT activities were carried out in PAEC, since 1974. Establishment of the Centre, under Scientific and Engineering Services Directorate of PAEC, has filled a long overdue need of the industrial sector of the country.
NCNDT is the leading institute offering Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) services, life assessment and failure analysis of mechanical equipment. It has necessary equipment and qualified staff in the field of NDT. The main areas of expertise include development and standardization of NDT techniques, training of personnel, preparation of training material, and dissemination of knowledge, R&D in different disciplines of NDT.
NCNDT acts as the secretariat for the Pakistan Society for Non-Destructive Testing (PASNT). With the formation of PASNT, Pakistan has attained the membership of the International Committee for Non-Destructive Testing.
Pakistan Welding Institute (PWI)
PAEC established the Pakistan Welding Institute (PWI) in 1995 to augment the manufacturing needs of the country. Today, PWI is a member of the International Institute of Welding (IIW) and is actively engaged in providing high level technical education to welding personnel as well as advanced practical training to welders and fabricators from all over the country.
Over the years PWI has provided technical support to the local industry with through various services covering all areas of welding and joining technology. Its objective is to produce quality welders, inspectors and supervisors to meet the industrial demands as per applicable codes and standards. PWI provides services for repair and maintenance for all types of equipment. Products with a wide range in size can be repaired at PWI and at client’s site. PWI offers short term basic and advanced welding technology courses for welders, supervisors, inspectors, engineers and managers. The Institute has given big support for the continuous improvement in the quality of welding education in Pakistan.
Nuclear Regulatory Infrastructure
The establishment of Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) has gone through an evolutionary process. Before the establishment of PNRA, nuclear and radiation regulatory activities were carried out by the Directorate of Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (DNSRP) working under PAEC. In 1994, the Government of Pakistan signed the Convention on Nuclear Safety, a key obligation under which is ensuring effective separation between the functions of the regulatory body and those of any other body or organization connected with the promotion or utilization of nuclear energy. As a first step to meet this obligation of independent regulation, the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Board was established in 1994. In 2001, Pakistan achieved full compliance with this aspect of the Convention on Nuclear Safety through the establishment of an independent nuclear regulatory authority—PNRA.
PNRA regulates a wide range of nuclear and radiation facilities such as research and power reactors, diagnostic radiology, radiation oncology, radiotherapy and use of radioisotopes in industrial, agriculture and research domains through a well-established regulatory process. The process includes granting authorization/ issuing license for the use of nuclear materials and radioactive sources; assessing the safety; performing inspection to ensure that regulations concerning safety and security measures are properly followed; and taking necessary enforcement actions if violations of regulatory requirements are observed. Since its inception, PNRA has strived hard to achieve its objects.
PNRA is also empowered to ensure that appropriate measures for the physical protection of nuclear installations are taken by the licensee. PNRA ensures that the physical protection measures for nuclear materials and facilities are consistent with the recommendations of IAEA document INFCIRC/225 and obligations of the Convention on Physical protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM).
PNRA has established the School for Nuclear and Radiation Safety (SNRS) to improve the competency level, knowledge and skills of the newly recruited officers as well as to conduct refresher courses for the existing staff. The School possesses well equipped class rooms, computers and multimedia systems. Other facilities at the training center include PWR simulator, physical models of plant equipment, radiation protection laboratory and various computer codes. SNRS is also imparting training to the workers from the licensees’ organizations. This school can also assist the international community specially countries embarking on nuclear energy in enhancing the competency of those professionals who are expected to be engaged in nuclear regulatory activities
PNRA has also established a Nuclear Security Training Centre at Islamabad to train not only its own staff but also to train facility operators, policy makers, front line officers, first responders, officials from intelligence agencies & law enforcing authorities, trainers & other professional educators. This training center has a number of laboratories, which are equipped with the state-of-the-art equipment and training aids.
Since the inception of PAEC, it has achieved numerous milestones and played a pivotal role in using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. PAEC not only developed, trained individuals but set up institutes to utilize nuclear energy for research and development. The use of nuclear energy and its regulatory control in an efficient manner is expected to continue. Pakistan is in a position not only to use nuclear science and engineering for its national programs for development and progress, but also can provide assistance and help for countries of the region in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.