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Ottawa is right to get out of the reactor business
Almost every vision of a world with much less greenhouse gas includes nuclear power. And no wonder: Nuclear power has the lowest carbon footprint of any stable and substantial energy source.
True, nuclear technology presents challenges of its own, but as the world focuses on climate change, nuclear technology becomes more and more appealing.
So this might seem like a strange time for the federal government to be selling off the nuclear-reactor branch of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. But, in fact, the long-expected pasting of a "For Sale" sign onto the reactor side of AECL is just the right thing for Ottawa to be doing.
The Associated Press: Canadian nuclear company strikes deal with Japan
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited has signed a multimillion-dollar contract with Tokyo Electric Power Company, the Canadian government-owned corporation's first contract in Japan.
The Canadian energy company announced the deal Tuesday, but did not reveal specific financial details of the agreement.
AECL said the first pump seal was installed in early November on the boiler system of a Japanese nuclear power plant that began operations earlier this month.
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited is a full-service nuclear technology company, providing services to nuclear utilities around the world.
Feds keep lid on Atomic Energy Canada sale report
The federal government said late Monday it had received a report it commissioned on the best way to break up and sell Atomic Energy Canada Ltd. — but refused to release the report's recommendations, citing "commercial confidentiality considerations."
Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt announced last spring that the government was prepared to break up AECL, a Crown corporation, into two parts.
One part would include the business responsible for selling and building CANDU reactors, the large powerful machines that provide electricity at plants in New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario. The government signalled its intention to a seek a private sector partner to buy all or part of the CANDU business.
AECL sale could be 'death knell' for CANDU reactors
The federal government is preparing to unveil recommendations on how to restructure Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, and several foreign and domestic players in the nuclear industry are positioning themselves to make a bid for AECL's assets.
But industry insiders and experts say the sale of the Crown corporation's reactor business could spell the beginning of the end for AECL's storied CANDU technology, long considered the cornerstone of Canada's nuclear industry.
AFP: Canada suspends new nuclear reactor construction
Ontario, Canada's economic hub, announced Monday the suspension of its plan to build two new nuclear reactors, citing concerns about vendor Atomic Energy Canada Limited's viability, and pricing.
The provincial government said AECL's bid to build the two new nuclear power plants at its Darlington station, 43 miles (70 kilometers) east of Toronto, by 2018 was the only one to meet its terms and objectives.
The project was to be the first step in the modernization of Ontario's aging nuclear fleet.
France's Areva and Westinghouse Electric Company, a subsidiary of Japan's Toshiba, had also bid on the project in February.
Canada's troubled nuclear industry: Ending a dream, or nightmare | The Economist
The government opts not to pour more money down the nuclear “sinkhole”
AP But not for much longer
NO ONE should have been surprised when Canada’s elderly nuclear research-reactor near Ottawa sprang a leak last month, prompting a prolonged shutdown that removes two-fifths of the world’s supply of a medical isotope widely used in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. After all, the government-owned reactor was fired up in 1957, the same year that the Soviet Union launched Sputnik and Elvis Presley starred in “Jailhouse Rock”. But the reactor’s second unscheduled shutdown in as many years left health officials in Canada and the United States scrambling to find alternative sources of the isotope. Hospitals in both countries rescheduled thousands of tests and treatments.
TheStar.com | Opinion | Too many ifs cloud nuclear future
If only the political melodrama would end; if only the Chalk River reactor would stop springing leaks; if only the Ontario government would buy a couple of CANDU reactors, there might be a nuclear renaissance in Canada.
But that is a lot of ifs.
This should be an opportune moment for Canada's once-proud nuclear industry. The world is hungry for low-carbon energy. Fossil fuel prices are rising and will stay high when governments impose caps on greenhouse gas emissions. Ontario is poised to buy two giant reactors. And dozens of countries are in the market for nuclear power.
But no one is ready to predict a rosy future for Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.
The C.D. Howe Institute, which just completed a study of the nuclear industry, concluded that a resurgence is possible, but only if the government gets out of the nuclear reactor business, untangles its confusing array of regulations and comes up with a long-term plan to manage nuclear waste.
CTV Toronto - AECL worried about Ont. nuclear cost overruns - CTV News, Shows and Sports -- Canadian Television
As Ontario comes close to deciding who it will pay $20 billion to build two new nuclear reactors, the Canadian bidder is already worried that it will face large cost overruns.
The warnings are contained in the secret documents left by a former member of Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt's staff at CTV's Ottawa bureau recently.
In the documents is a page dealing with the bid by Atomic Energy Canada Ltd. (AECL), which hopes to win the contract. On that page is the following statement: "... There is the risk there could be large cost overruns."
It goes on to say that certain conditions the federal government imposed on AECL "have resulted in the AECL consortium submitting a highly-priced bid."
Ontario would be likely to ask AECL to lower its price, it said.
TheStar.com | Canada | Reactor experts carry $29M price tag: Watchdog
The price tag for nuclear specialists will be in the millions if one of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.'s rivals wins an Ontario reactor bid, documents show.
That's because Canada's nuclear-safety watchdog lacks expertise in the type of reactors made by AECL's competitors and will have to pay big bucks to bring in specialists if one of them wins.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission estimates it will cost up to $29 million for light-water experts to review licence applications from firms that build that kind of technology.
It's the first time a dollar amount has been put on light-water expertise.
"It is estimated that there will be two applications with this design requiring outsourced technical expertise at an estimated cost of $29 million over five years," says a memo prepared last December.
Those applications will come from French nuclear firm Areva and U.S. firm Westinghouse Electric Co., which both make light-water reactors. AECL makes Candu heavy-water reactors.
AECL's meltdown
Just as corrosion is eating away at the 1957-vintage Chalk River reactor, so too is there is a general erosion of confidence in Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.
The shutdown of AECL's ancient reactor at Chalk River is drawing international attention, because without the reactor Canada is unable to continue supplying a large percentage of the world's medical isotopes, which are critical for medical scans. AECL's ongoing reactor follies are a national headache, and it's no wonder the federal government is now looking to sell its stake in the ailing energy giant.
A year ago, the Harper government put a stop on the Maple reactor project -- which was to replace the Chalk River jalopy -- after the project was 600 per cent over budget and six years late, not to mention the nagging suspicion that the reactors don't work.
AFP: Govt to sell stake in nuclear firm
The government said on Thursday it hoped to sell a stake in its nuclear agency to try to grow Atomic Energy of Canada Limited and boost its reactor sales, amid growing interest around the world in nuclear power.
Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt told a news conference AECL could not thrive in its current form as it is too small, with a mere 10 percent of installed reactor capacity in the world currently.
As well, it would have to be restructured to make it more attractive to potential investors, she said.
An 18-month review of AECL's operations called for a separation of its research division and its reactor business.
The reactor sales arm could then seek an alliance or partnership, or be divested, it concluded.
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The government said on Thursday it hoped to sell a stake in its nuclear agency to try to grow Atomic Energy of Canada Limited and boost its reactor sales, amid growing interest around the world in nuclear power.
Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt told a news conference AECL could not thrive in its current form as it is too small, with a mere 10 percent of installed reactor capacity in the world currently.
As well, it would have to be restructured to make it more attractive to potential investors, she said.
An 18-month review of AECL's operations called for a separation of its research division and its reactor business.
The reactor sales arm could then seek an alliance or partnership, or be divested, it concluded.
AFP: Canada to sell stake in nuclear firm
Canada said Thursday it hoped to sell a stake in its nuclear agency to try to grow Atomic Energy of Canada Limited and boost its reactor sales, amid growing interest around the world in nuclear power.
Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt told a news conference AECL could not thrive in its current form as it is too small, with a mere 10 percent of installed reactor capacity in the world currently.
As well, it would have to be restructured to make it more attractive to potential investors, she said.
An 18-month review of AECL's operations called for a separation of its research division and its reactor business.
The reactor sales arm could then seek an alliance or partnership, or be divested, it concluded.
dailygleaner.com - Precision Nuclear meltdown?
Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. will go to court today to force Precision Nuclear Inc. of Mactaquac into receivership.
AECL is worried delays allegedly caused by the company could delay the Point Lepreau refurbishment.
According to an affidavit filed in the Court of Queen's Bench in Saint John by Robert DeGregorio, supply chain director for the AECL, "a delay by PNI (Precision Nuclear Inc.) in the completion of its Point Lepreau obligations would result in a domino effect and cause delays in other phases of a very large and complex project."
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