November 2, 2011
CRL gets five more
years
by Terry Myers
It was cutting it a little close, but Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd has
been given the green light to continue operating the Chalk River labs
for another five years.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission announced its decision late last
Thursday, October 27.
AECL's previous licence reached the end of its term October 31.
In its summary decision, the safety commission said that after two days
of hearings and submissions from 14 intervenors, it was satisfied that
“AECL is qualified to carry on the activity that the licence will
authorize.”
“The commission is of the opinion that AECL, in carrying on these
activities, will make adequate provision for the protection of the
environment, the health and safety of persons and the maintenance of
national security and measures required to implement international
obligations to which Canada has agreed.”
In a statement released Friday, AECL welcomed the CNSC's decision.
“I am extremely pleased that the commission has renewed the Chalk River
operating licence for five years,” said new AECL president and CEO Dr.
Robert Walker.
“This licence is vital to enabling AECL to deliver value to Canadians
and the world as Canada's premier nuclear science and technology
organization.”
Randy Lesco, AECL's chief nuclear officer designate and site licence
holder, said the five-year licence period “demonstrates the confidence
that the CNSC has in AECL's performance as a licensee and in our
ability to operate with due regard of the environment, of security and
of the best interests of Canadians.”
“AECL takes our responsibilities seriously and we are committed to safe
operation throughout the licence period,” he said.
AECL will need to meet a number of conditions on the licence, including
a requirement to report before the end of February 2012 on the final
results of the inspection of the vessel in the NRU reactor.
The inspection will give the commission an update on the state of the
reactor vessel following lengthy repairs last year.
The condition of NRU was one of the main topics of discussion during
the second day of licence hearings at the Chalk River Lions Hall in
early October.
As part of the new five-year licence, AECL will be required to submit a
plan by June 30, 2014, either detailing how and when the 54-year-old
will be shut down, or outlining how the company plans to keep the
reactor operating beyond the end of the licence period in 2016.
“This is to ensure that there will be a defined approach for the future
of the reactor well before the end of the licence period,” said
Christian Carrier, head of the CNSC staff team at Chalk River.
NRU was shut down for 15 months from May 2009 to August 2010 after a
pinhole leak of heavy water was discovered in the reactor vessel.
The leak and other areas of corrosion were repaired with a “weld
build-up” on the vessel wall.
Following the leak, AECL also completed a full scale Integrated Safety
Review (ISR) and has developed a detailed Integrated Implementation
Plan (IIP) outlining steps to improve the reactor's operations.
Lesco told commission members at the hearing that AECL has an “absolute
commitment to safety.”
“We are well positioned with detailed plans to meet our obligations
through the next licence period,” he said.
“To date, all inspections continue to confirm that the NRU vessel
remains fit for service,” he said.
CSNC staff agreed.
“If there were any safety concerns, staff would not be recommending
that you issue a (new) licence,” said Ramzi Jammal, executive
vice-president and chief regulatory operations officer for the
commission.
“All the inspections done to date show there is no safety issue at
risk.”
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