China National Nuclear Corp has completed the installation of the outer containment dome of the Karachi unit 2 nuclear reactor in Pakistan.

CNNC said that the dome was successfully installed on June 17, marking the end of general construction work. Containment and heat tests will now follow.

Karachi unit 2 is viewed as an important Belt & Road project, since it will be the first time that the Chinese-developed Hualong One pressurized water reactor design will be used overseas.

The outer containment dome is a 366-metric-ton multi-surface shell. Construction work on Karachi unit 2 began in 2015. Commercial operation is scheduled for 2020.

CNNC currently has four HPR1000 (Hualong 1) units under construction around the world, and has ambitious plans to build up its nuclear export industry. These include a possible plant in the UK.

Unit 5 of CNNC's Fuqing nuclear power plant, in Fujian Province, is well advanced with its construction, though has not reached the fuel loading stage yet. It is acting as China’s first demonstration nuclear power project using Hualong One technology.

Chinese companies have critical mass, given the large amount of nuclear capacity being added domestically. China intends to increase its total installed nuclear capacity to 58 GW by 2020, and aims to have another 30 GW under construction by the end of 2020. The country currently has around 45 nuclear power reactors in operation.