Khushab Reactor
Encyclopedia
Khushab Nuclear Complex is a plutonium production nuclear reactor
and heavy water
complex situated 30 km south of the town of Jauharabad
in Khushab District
, Punjab
, Pakistan
.
The heavy water and natural uranium
reactors at Khushab are a central element of Pakistan's program to produce plutonium
and tritium
for use in compact nuclear warheads. Khushab Nuclear Complex, like that at Kahuta
, is not subject to International Atomic Energy Agency
inspections.
The two currently operating reactors have capacities variously reported at between 40 MWt to 50 MWt, and as high as 70 MWt. They are conservatively estimated to be capable of producing 22 kg of weapons grade plutonium annually.
The first was commissioned in March 1996. This was Pakistan's first indigenous nuclear reactor. The Khushab Nuclear Complex was conceived and planned by the chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
(PAEC) Munir Ahmad Khan
who began work on the 50 MWt Khushab-I reactor and heavy water plant in 1986. He appointed nuclear engineer Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood
and Dr. N.A. Javed, both from the PAEC, as the Project-Directors for the reactor and the heavy water plant respectively.According to a Pakistani press report this reactor began operating in early 1998.
Based on the success of these projects and the experience and capability gained during their construction, onsite construction work on the second unit began around 2001 or 2002. In February 2010 Prime Minister
Yousaf Raza Gillani
and senior military officers attended a ceremony at the Khushab complex for what is believed to be the completion of the second reactor.
A third and a fourth reactor and ancillary buildings are observed to be under construction at the Khushab site, although details have not been confirmed by the Pakistani government. The third unit is nearly complete as of 2010. Judging by external appearance the two new reactors are similar or identical to the second in design. Plutonium production and nuclear reprocessing
facilities are also being expanded at Khushab, New Labs and Chashma, signalling Pakistan's shift to a plutonium-based nuclear weapons program.
Nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...
and heavy water
Heavy water
Heavy water is water highly enriched in the hydrogen isotope deuterium; e.g., heavy water used in CANDU reactors is 99.75% enriched by hydrogen atom-fraction...
complex situated 30 km south of the town of Jauharabad
Jauharabad
Jauharabad is a planned town situated in Khushab District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It has a population of approximately 40,000 and it is the district headquarters of Khushab District....
in Khushab District
Khushab District
Khushab District is a rural tribal district located in Punjab, Pakistan. According to the 1998 census, the population was 905,711 with 24.76% living in urban areas. The district consists of 3 tehsils: Khushab, Nurpur, and Quaidabad, as well as a sub-tehsil Naushera...
, Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
The heavy water and natural uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
reactors at Khushab are a central element of Pakistan's program to produce plutonium
Plutonium
Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
and tritium
Tritium
Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. The nucleus of tritium contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas the nucleus of protium contains one proton and no neutrons...
for use in compact nuclear warheads. Khushab Nuclear Complex, like that at Kahuta
Kahuta Research Laboratories
The Khan Research Laboratories ,, formerly known as Engineering Research Laboratories , is a multi-program Pakistan's weapons science and engineering research and development institute and nuclear research facility...
, is not subject to International Atomic Energy Agency
International Atomic Energy Agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...
inspections.
The two currently operating reactors have capacities variously reported at between 40 MWt to 50 MWt, and as high as 70 MWt. They are conservatively estimated to be capable of producing 22 kg of weapons grade plutonium annually.
The first was commissioned in March 1996. This was Pakistan's first indigenous nuclear reactor. The Khushab Nuclear Complex was conceived and planned by the chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, , is an administrative governmental and autonomous science and technology governmental department of Pakistan, responsible for development of nuclear energy and development of nuclear power sector in Pakistan...
(PAEC) Munir Ahmad Khan
Munir Ahmad Khan
Munir Ahmad Khan , HI, was a Pakistani nuclear engineer and a scientist who served as the Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission from 1972 to 1991...
who began work on the 50 MWt Khushab-I reactor and heavy water plant in 1986. He appointed nuclear engineer Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood
Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood
Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood, otherwise written as, Sultan Bashir-ud-Din Mehmood), and Manchester, United Kingdom. A controversial figure, Bashiruddin Mahmood is widely popular in Pakistan's scientific and religious circles for his scientific interpretation and its relation to Quran...
and Dr. N.A. Javed, both from the PAEC, as the Project-Directors for the reactor and the heavy water plant respectively.According to a Pakistani press report this reactor began operating in early 1998.
Based on the success of these projects and the experience and capability gained during their construction, onsite construction work on the second unit began around 2001 or 2002. In February 2010 Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
Yousaf Raza Gillani
Yousaf Raza Gillani
Yousuf Raza Gilani is the current prime minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. He was nominated as Prime Minister by the PPP, with the support of its coalition partners, Pakistan Muslim League , Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Muttahida Qaumi Movement, on 22 March 2008...
and senior military officers attended a ceremony at the Khushab complex for what is believed to be the completion of the second reactor.
A third and a fourth reactor and ancillary buildings are observed to be under construction at the Khushab site, although details have not been confirmed by the Pakistani government. The third unit is nearly complete as of 2010. Judging by external appearance the two new reactors are similar or identical to the second in design. Plutonium production and nuclear reprocessing
Nuclear reprocessing
Nuclear reprocessing technology was developed to chemically separate and recover fissionable plutonium from irradiated nuclear fuel. Reprocessing serves multiple purposes, whose relative importance has changed over time. Originally reprocessing was used solely to extract plutonium for producing...
facilities are also being expanded at Khushab, New Labs and Chashma, signalling Pakistan's shift to a plutonium-based nuclear weapons program.