Kirana Hills/Pakistan Nuclear Sites

Why in News? India’s recent retaliatory strikes as part of Operation Sindoor have drawn significant attention, particularly concerning rumors about targeting Pakistan’s Kirana Hills, a site reportedly linked to nuclear storage.

Relevance : UPSC Pre & Mains

Prelims :  Kirana Hills

Mains :  GS 2 –IR/ GS 3 –Security

 Major Nuclear Sites:

Kahuta (Khan Research Laboratories – KRL):

• Location: Kahuta, near Rawalpindi, Punjab (Coordinates: Approx. 33.652494°N, 73.258038°E)

Function: Primary uranium enrichment facility producing Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) for nuclear weapons using gas centrifuge technology. Also serves as Pakistan’s main nuclear weapons laboratory and a center for long-range missile development.

Status: Not under IAEA safeguards.

Significance: Central to Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program, established under A.Q. Khan in the 1970s.

Khushab Nuclear Complex:

• Location: Khushab, Punjab (Coordinates: Approx. 32.1167°N, 72.2000°E)
• Function: Houses multiple unsafeguarded plutonium production reactors (Khushab I-IV, with additional reactors under construction). Produces weapons-grade plutonium, potentially enabling 40-50 nuclear weapons annually.

Status: Not under IAEA safeguards. Satellite imagery indicates ongoing expansion.

Significance: Critical for Pakistan’s plutonium-based warheads, complementing the HEU stream from Kahuta.

Chashma Nuclear Power Plant (CHASNUPP):

• Location: Chashma, Mianwali District, Punjab
• Function: Civilian nuclear power facility with four operational pressurized water reactors (CHASNUPP-1 to 4, total capacity 1,330 MW). Used for electricity generation.

Status: Under IAEA safeguards, built with Chinese assistance (China National Nuclear Corporation).

Units:

• • CHASNUPP-1: 325 MW, operational since 2000.

• • CHASNUPP-2: 325 MW, operational since 2011.
  • CHASNUPP-3: 340 MW, operational since 2016.
  • CHASNUPP-4: 340 MW, operational since 2017.

Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP):

• Location: Paradise Point, Karachi, Sindh
• Function: Civilian nuclear power facility. KANUPP-1 (137 MW, heavy-water reactor, operational since 1972, built with Canadian assistance) and KANUPP-2 (1,100 MW, operational since 2021, Chinese-built). KANUPP-3 (1,100 MW) is under construction.

Status: Under IAEA safeguards.

Significance: KANUPP-2 and 3 aim to boost Pakistan’s nuclear energy capacity to meet 8,800 MWe by 2030.

Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH):

• Location: Nilore, near Islamabad
• Function: Research facility for nuclear fuel cycle activities, including analytical chemistry, nuclear materials, metallurgy, and tritium production research. Houses the New Labs Reprocessing Plant for plutonium extraction (not yet operational).

Status: New Labs is not under IAEA safeguards; other facilities may be partially safeguarded.

Significance: Supports both civilian and military nuclear programs.

Sargodha Airbase and Kirana Hills:

• Location: Sargodha, Punjab (Kirana Hills nearby)
• Function: Suspected nuclear weapons storage and delivery site. Sargodha houses Mirage III/V and F-16 squadrons capable of nuclear delivery. Kirana Hills was used for subcritical nuclear tests (1983-1990) and is rumored to have underground storage.

Status: Not under IAEA safeguards.

Significance: Targeted in India’s May 2025 strikes (Operation Sindoor), though Indian officials denied hitting Kirana Hills directly.

Masroor Air Base:

• Location: Karachi, Sindh (Coordinates: 24.8855°N, 66.9280°E)
• Function: Houses the 32nd Fighter Wing with Mirage III/V squadrons, suspected to have a nuclear delivery role. A potential nuclear weapons storage site is located 5 km northwest (24.9429°N, 66.9083°E).

Status: Not under IAEA safeguards. Unique underground facilities suggest possible nuclear weapons storage or command functions.

Significance: Critical for Pakistan’s airborne nuclear deterrent.

Atomic Energy Minerals Center:

• Location: Lahore, Punjab
• Function: Uranium and nuclear mineral resource development, including ore pilot reprocessing and production of reactor fuel bundles.

Status: Partially under IAEA safeguards for civilian purposes.

Significance: Supports nuclear fuel cycle for power plants like KANUPP.

Kundian Nuclear Fuel Complex:

• Location: Kundian, near Chashma, Punjab
• Function: Manufactures nuclear fuel bundles for KANUPP and potentially other reactors.

Status: Under IAEA safeguards.

Significance: Enhances Pakistan’s indigenous nuclear fuel production.

Gadwal Enrichment Plant:

• Location: Near Wah Cantonment, Punjab
• Function: Uranium enrichment facility converting yellowcake to uranium hexafluoride (UF6) for nuclear power and potentially weapons programs.

Status: Not under IAEA safeguards.

Significance: Supports Pakistan’s nuclear fuel cycle