Photo: Cheryl Gallant, MP (centre) with AECL V.P. Bill Pilkington and AECL President Hugh McDermidOttawa, Ontario… Cheryl Gallant, MP Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke, was pleased to show her support for the Chalk River employees of Atomic Energy of Canada (AECL) by attending the public hearing with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), who is considering AECL’s application for the return to service of the NRU; (the National Research Universal research reactor).
“No-one appreciates the importance of getting the NRU back on line more than the employees at Chalk River. I congratulate their efforts as I know the medical community that relies on the NRU for the production of medical isotopes appreciates those efforts as well,” stated Cheryl Gallant, MP.
AECL appeared before the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) in a public hearing to consider AECL’s application for the restart of NRU. Based on the Non-Destructive Examinations (NDE), as well as the visual inspections of the repair regions and the successful leak check, AECL has concluded that the NRU vessel can now be returned-to-service.
“The Nuclear Industry in Canada has a stellar safety record. I know that there has been some impatience on the part of individuals who do not understand the complexity of the repairs that were made,” said MP Gallant. “We have a solid track record because we take the time to do the job right. One also has to consider that this process of repairing a 52 year old nuclear reactor is new. Now that Canadians are looking at an actual start date for the NRU, and the subsequent production of medical isotopes, I look forward to promoting stability in an industry that locally, employs over 2700 workers,” stated MP Cheryl Gallant.
Guidance on the duration of the shutdown continues to be founded on the best evidence available, including the most up-to-date analysis of inspection data and critical path requirements for restart after an extended shutdown. It is estimated that NRU will resume isotope production by the end of July. Further guidance on the return-to-service date will be provided when more information becomes available. Part of the Return-to-Service project’s plan includes reactivating the NRU’s auxiliary operating systems. To date, 26 of the 35 NRU systems are now in service. CNSC safety inspectors continue to provide independent regulatory oversight of AECL activities at the Chalk River site. The NRU continues to be in a safe shutdown state with return-to-service activities in progress.
