Canada's Nuclear Power Industry
One question is - Should Canada be investing in more nuclear power?
One thing is for certain - if we do build more nuclear power capacity in Canada, significant taxpayer dollars will be used to do it. From construction to decommissioning, and the handling of nuclear waste and any accidents that happen, it is government and not the industry that bears those expenses.
Quote - as of 2011? -
Public hearings are being held next week for the construction of two more reactors. However, the decision to build has already been made at the political level, said Mattson.
"We don't actually need the additional energy. The only reason this is going forward is to support the nuclear industry," he said.
--------------Potential for Accidents -
Canada's nuclear power industry is under extra scrutiny now due to the problems in Japan where the back-up power supply [for emergency cooling] was ruined by a Tsunami, and now the nuclear fuel rods are overheating.
Canada's nuclear power stations will not likely have a similar problem - most of the 23 nuclear reactors in Canada are along the shores of the Great Lakes, near Toronto [there has never been a Tsunami on the Great Lakes].
A more likely reason for problems with Canada's reactors would be related to corrosion of the reactors' pressure tubes and feeder pipes.
Quote > http://www.nuclearfreealberta.ca/theissues.html
The Bruce Power station has been partially refurbished recently. The pressure tubes in one reactor have been replaced, and the other reactors need to have the same repairs made, related to corrosion of the reactors' pressure tubes and feeder pipes.
Bruce's nuclear reactors, like other CANDUS, have a history of huge cost overruns during construction, unreliable performance over time, and safety issues during operation.
Corroded pipes and pressure tubes in the CANDUS have to be replaced because of the danger of a "loss of coolant" accident
2007: Two Pickering reactors permanently mothballed due to the exorbitant cost of refurbishing their pressure tubes-$1.6 billion.
More Quotes > http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/03/201132317958260690...
Canada has a large government-owned nuclear industry with 17 reactors providing 15 per cent of the country's electricity. The Canadian government has sold its CANDU nuclear reactors to several countries, including Argentina and, most recently, China.
Canada's nuclear plants have been plagued with costly repairs and shutdowns, mainly due to leaking pipes. There have not been any fatalities, but repair costs have been in the billions of dollars.
More Links
> http://www.oci-aic.org/news/industry-related-news/
> http://www.nuclearcounterfeit.com
see thread 'New Reactors for Darlington'
oops, sorry, I defer to the 'New Reactors for Darlington' forum.
There is only one reason for the corroded feeder pipes and pressure tubes, and that was because of poorly run chemisty departments at those plants.
Only one plant at the Bruce site has had this problem, Bruce "A".
Bruce "B", on the other hand does not. Bruce "B" has possibly the best chemistry department in the nuclear industry. How do I know this...you ask. Some one very close to me ran that department. I've had to listen to him rant for 30 years about the issues at the "other plants". This man has retired from the Bruce, but is still consulted with on a daily basis about issues with his "Baby".
I know people aren't happy with the nuclear industry, but it does directly and indirectly employ over 50,000 people in Canada, and will continue to do so far past yours and my lifetime. Please just realize that we've got it , it's not going to go way, and we have to stick with it because of the nuclear waste we've already made.
Plus the CANDU design could be considered the garborator of nuclear reactors, as it can take fuel from other reactor designs and still make electricity with it, therefore our Canadian design will out live all of the others. Also, many people's retirement funds are tied up in the nuclear industry.
New Reactors mean lots of long term good paying jobs!
I am truely sorry for what is going on in Japan, it's nuclear industry, and for the Japanese people, but they will rebuild and continue to use nuclear until something better comes around.
There is only one reason for the corroded feeder pipes and pressure tubes, and that was because of poorly run chemisty departments at those plants.
Only one plant at the Bruce site has had this problem, Bruce "A".
Bruce "B", on the other hand does not. Bruce "B" has possibly the best chemistry department in the nuclear industry. How do I know this...you ask. Some one very close to me ran that department. I've had to listen to him rant for 30 years about the issues at the "other plants". This man has retired from the Bruce, but is still consulted with on a daily basis about issues with his "Baby".
I know people aren't happy with the nuclear industry, but it does directly and indirectly employ over 50,000 people in Canada, and will continue to do so far past yours and my lifetime. Please just realize that we've got it , it's not going to go way, and we have to stick with it because of the nuclear waste we've already made.
Plus the CANDU design could be considered the garborator of nuclear reactors, as it can take fuel from other reactor designs and still make electricity with it, therefore our Canadian design will out live all of the others. Also, many people's retirement funds are tied up in the nuclear industry.
New Reactors mean lots of long term good paying jobs!
I am truely sorry for what is going on in Japan, it's nuclear industry, and for the Japanese people, but they will rebuild and continue to use nuclear until something better comes around.
The more complex these powerplants get, the more things can go wrong, you just pointed out one of them. Feed water preparation.
Your argument that we have to stick with it, because we have already nuclear waste, seems to have a bit of an Ostrich quality to it. Would you suggest that we continue wasting our water and air because we have already wasted so much?
Japan would be foolish to to stick with the nuclear power production. What do you estimate the cost will be of cleaning up this mess? That will be added to the cost of nuclear energy.
We have alternative energy options and the means to do with a lot less.
How many jobs and pensions just went up in smoke?
I guess this thread has life of it's own after all [see MOD NDPP comment above, suggesting the Darlington plant issue]
This is very interesting "insider info" mechtech. We need to talk... [ha ha].
In fact, I have a personal relationship with the "recently retired - still somewhat involved" CEO of TransCanada Pipelines [TCP]. I understand TCP owns Bruce Power, as part of TCP's energy producing arm. "The CEO I Know" might like to hear about the chemistry department at Bruce A - do you think I should copy the first part of your post and send it to him? Or will Bruce A chemists get in trouble? or does it matter?
Do you know - who is this Duncan Hawthorne, who initially agreed to interviews on CBC TV when the Japan crisis started? {he has not been seen since, on TV at least... he was insisting "all is well" with Japan and all nuclear power plants everywhere, in his heavy Angle accent}
---
I just have to post this too - from recent Wikileaks on Canadian involvement in South American nuclear power plants:
http://tinyurl.com/4n2x37l
¶4. (SBU) Nuclear Cooperation: Canada is working hard to
increase peaceful nuclear cooperation with Argentina. The
Canadians are going to carry out a major rehab of the Embalse
nuclear energy plant in Cordoba which should total about
US$800 million. They are helping Argentina finish its Atucha
II nuclear energy plant which has been under construction for
years. And, they are competing to build a new nuclear plant
about which they hope the Argentines will reach a decision in
the next year.