December 8, 2010
Ten more years for
NRU?
by Terry Myers
For perhaps the first time, there's documented public proof that Atomic
Energy of Canada plans to keep the NRU reactor at Chalk River running
for at least another 10 years.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission is inviting public comment on a
draft environmental assessment screening report covering a proposal by
AECL to continue operating NRU until 2021.
The public comment period runs until January 4, 2011.
The screening report says that the “NRU Reactor Long-Term Management
Project” is “not likely to cause significant adverse environmental
effects.”
“The assessment also took into consideration credible accident and
malfunction scenarios, and concluded that adverse effects would be
unlikely.
“Further, no likely adverse cumulative effects would result from this
project, and no significant/residual adverse effects of the environment
on the NRU Reactor Long-term Management Project are likely.
“No adverse effects on the socio-economic environment, as well as on
physical and cultural heritage are expected, and this project has no
activities associated with it that would adversely affect Aboriginal
interests.”
The screening report is just the first small step on a long road to win
approval from the nuclear regulator to keep NRU operating.
The current licence for NRU and the Chalk River site runs out next
year, and the focus now is to get approval for another five-year term
to 2016.
The screening report notes that, beyond that, “detailed design work for
each (long-term) project activity will be completed and approved
through the CNSC licence and compliance process.”
Dominic Ryan, president of the Canadian Institute for Neutron
Scattering (CINS), said it's good news that plans are on the books to
keep NRU operating beyond 2016, but it still doesn't settle the bigger
question of how and when NRU will be replaced.
By 2016, NRU will be “coming up to” 60 years, and there are “only so
many fixes you can do on a reactor that old,” he said.
“At some point it's got to stop. You can't expect it to last forever.”
NRU is the source of neutron beams that members of CINS need to do
their research.
With no replacement for NRU in sight, CINS recently threw its support
behind a plan to build a new “Canadian Neutron Source” (CNS) at the
University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.
Ryan said the move to keep NRU running beyond 2016 “buys us breathing
room,” but more is needed.
“We've been saying a decision (on a new reactor) is needed 'now' for 10
years. 'Now' just keeps getting pushed back,” he said.
“We have to start digging a hole. If we just keep extending the life
and extending the life (of NRU), we're not getting anywhere.”
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