Bruce Power President and CEO Duncan Hawthorne feels there are a number of lessons to take away from the nuclear crisis in Japan.
At a well attended public seminar at the Bruce Power Visitor’s Centre on Thursday — Hawthorne broke down how the twin disasters damaged the Fukushima Daiishi plant.
He says considering the extent of the damage caused by the earthquake and tsunami, the nuclear plant held up fairly well and managed to avoid a catastrophic meltdown.
Hawthorne says the events in Japan have raised questions about the safety of Bruce Power’s operations — and he wanted to set the record straight.
First and foremost — Hawthorne says the reactors at Bruce Power are completely different than those used in Japan.
Fukushima uses boiling water reactors — where a lot of nuclear fuel is used with small amounts of water to cool it.
Conversely — Bruce Power has reactors that use a small amount of fuel and a large amount of water.
Hawthorne says in the event the cooling system is damaged, the reactors at Bruce Power are much easier to cool down.
Hawthorne adds they have confirmatory checks done on all new equipment being installed, and a detailed environmental assessment is being done to determine what risks mother nature might pose in this area.
They also have a thorough disaster response plan and undergo frequent reviews of their emergency protocols.
Hawthorne says despite the fact the Fukushima plant was heavily damaged and is a huge economic disaster — the Japanese did well to contain the radiation.
