The Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has granted approval to the project’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) report and authorized the construction of power plants at Paradise Point near Kanupp, reported The Dawn.
Valued at $10bn, the project covers construction of the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant-2 (KANUPP-2) and KANUPP-3 power plants of 1,100MW each by a Chinese company.
The project has attracted sharp criticism from several civil society groups over its proximity to the city, and lack of proper evacuation plan in an event of emergency.
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) has failed to launch a fresh EIA to expand the evacuation plan that is now restricted to a 5km radius of the plants.
While allowing PAEC to go ahead with its contruction plans, SEPA has stipulated that a contingency plan needs to be implemented 24 hours a day to handle any emergency.
"The K-2/K-3 physical security plan shall be established in accordance with national Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) regulations and guidelines provided in the International Atomic Energy Agency nuclear security series No.13 to maintain routine security actions and deal with a range of possible security contingencies," SEPA said.
The PAEC has also been directed to monitor each effluent discharge path for radioactivity before discharge, and also coordinate an independent monitoring body to ensure compliance with the environment management plan.
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