ISLAMABAD: A meeting was informed on Saturday that construction of the second and third phases of the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (Kanupp) had begun after the Sindh High Court had vacated a stay order against the project.

The K-2 and K-3 plants are scheduled to be completed by 2019, the meeting held with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the chair was told.

The director general of the Strategic Plans Division, Lt Gen Zubair Mahmood Hayat, discussed with the minister the financing mechanism for the project. The meeting was told that the project would produce 2,200MW of electricity.

The nuclear energy projects are part of the ‘Pak-China Energy Corridor’ and will be jointly financed by China’s Exim Bank and Pakistan at a ratio of 82 to 18.

China is also providing technical support in setting up the turbines, and the reactors will be designed and built by the China National Nuclear Corporation.

The project is being executed by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission.

“We expect that this project will go a long way in overcoming the energy crunch being experienced by the country,” Mr Dar said.

The minister also discussed the pace of work on the project and was informed that the groundbreaking was held in November last year.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2014