Bruce Power’s plan to ship decommissioned steam generators from its reactors to Sweden via Owen Sound and the Great Lakes has not been approved by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.
The commission’s executive vice-president and chief regulatory operations officer, Ramzi Jammal, says the plan will not be approved unless and until Bruce Power completely satisfies CNSC requirements.
But Jammal also says the public and the environment are not at risk from the steam generators.
Jammal spoke on Monday night at Owen Sound city council at the invitation of Mayor Ruth Lovell Stanners.
He went through a presentation detailing what the CNSC does as a regulator of nuclear energy and materials in Canada.
Jammal also spoke about Bruce Power’s application to send 16 100-tonne generators to Sweden to be recycled, saying the application is incomplete.
Jammal says CNSC staff will go through Bruce Power’s plans step by step to make sure they are in full compliance with CNSC requirements.
They are not defenders of Bruce Power’s plan, he stresses, saying it is not the CNSC’s place to act on behalf of the nuclear operator or its plans.
The regulator will ensure that the plans will include every step of the transport process, whether by road or by water, and will take into account Bruce Power’s mitigation, response and recovery methods should an accident occur.
Even if an accident does happen, Jammal says, there is no danger to the public or to the environment from the generators.
The contamination in each generator is confined to its innermost workings, separated from the public by two inches of steel, which blocks any radiation.
Not only that, all openings have been welded shut and safely sealed.
Doctor Hazel Lynn, the local Medical Officer of Health, also spoke to council.
She reiterated Jammal’s contention that there is no danger to the public from the generators.
Owen Sound Mayor Ruth Lovell Stanners has expressed concerns about Bruce Power’s plans but says she has some peace of mind now, knowing that the CNSC’s mandate is protecting the safety of the public.
