Thursday 02 July 2009 WASHINGTON: ONTARIO UNCERTAIN OF NUCLEAR PLANS
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says it's up to the federal government to decide whether his province continues to rely upon nuclear power. The premier's comment came one day after his energy minister, George Smitherman, said that the plan to expand the Darlington nuclear power station is on hold. He cited both the cost of the best bid by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. and uncertainty about the future of the Crown corporation. There have been numerous rumours that Ottawa wants to privatize it. Mr. McGuinty says that in light of the huge cost of nuclear power, it's essential that the province be told of AECL's future. The premier spoke in Washington, where he attended a meeting with local business people. Mr. McGuinty said the discussion was almost exclusively about the "Buy American" provisions of the U.S. government's $787-billion economic stimulus package.
Tuesday 30 June 2009 TORONTO: PLANS FOR NEW REACTORS PUT ON HOLD
Ontario Energy Minister George Smitherman says the government's plans to build new nuclear reactors have been shelved for the time being. Mr. Smitherman explained that federally owned Atomic Energy of Canada was the only one of three bidders whose bid met all the government's requirements but was nonetheless still too expensive. The minister says the federal government may chose to let AECL resubmit a lower bid. Mr. Smitherman also says he wants more certainty about the future of AECL after the government put its nuclear reactor business up for sale.
Saturday 27 June 2009OTTAWA: CANADA SPENDS MORE ON NUCLEAR SECURITY
Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon has announced that Canada will contribute $180 million more to expand the international program to decommission Russia's nuclear weapons. Mr. Cannon says terrorists are actively seeking weapons of mass destruction, so that the further investment in the Global Partnership Program is worth the money. The funds will be spent chiefly on securing nuclear and biological materials in Russia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan.
from Wed1424 17 June 2009
We are concerned about the future of isotope production and are relatively pleased that Ms Raitt is off the case, replaced by the less high-profile Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, who has announced that the federal government will spend $6 million on clinical research projects to speed up the development of non-nuclear sources of alternatives to medical isotopes, to supplement or replace technetium-99, used to diagnose cancer and heart problems. We’re happy that Mr. Ignatieff has chosen this topic as one of the ones on which he requires answers from the PM. And while the world is concerned by the development of nuclear power by North Korea and Iran (yes, we know it’s not the same thing), it seems a pity that Canada is relinquishing an area in which it once led development.
Thursday 18 June 2009 Canada's troubled nuclear industry The government opts not to pour more money down the nuclear "sinkhole" APBut 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. This debacle has stirred Stephen Harper’s Conservative minority government into a decision. It says it will divide AECL, the state-owned atomic-energy company, into two, privatising all or part of its division that makes and services nuclear-power stations while winding down the research reactor. Eventually, says Mr Harper, Canada will get out of making isotopes altogether. His spokesman used blunter language, saying that AECL was “dysfunctional” and a “sinkhole” that has cost the Canadian governments C$30bn ($26.5 billion) since its creation in 1952.
Wednesday 17 June 2009 OTTAWA: ALTERNATIVES TO ISOTOPES SOUGHT
Canada's Conservative government is spending $6 million to find alternatives to radioactive isotopes. Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said the money will fund research into non-nuclear alternatives to the isotopes produced at an aging reactor in the province of Ontario. The Chalk River facility was shut down a month ago after a heavy-water leak was discovered. The reactor produces one-third of the world's supply of the medical isotopes used to detect cancer and heart ailments. It's expected to be out of commission for at least three months, but possibly longer. The funding announced Tuesday is meant to find alternatives for Canadian doctors struggling to cope with the isotope shortfall.
Sunday 14 June 2009 TORONTO: CONSULTATIONS SET FOR ISOTOPE CRISIS
Canadian Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt says she'll meet with representatives of countries that produce isotopes next week to discuss the current global shortage. The minister says that production increases in the Netherlands and South Africa will soon return supplies to two-thirds of usual levels. She also says Canada will work with other producers to work out a maintenance schedule for reactors that produce isotopes so that there aren't too many offline at the same time. The worldwide shortage has been caused by the shutdown of the reactor at Chalk River, ON, on May 15 after a heavy-water leak was found.
HAMILTON: UNIVERSITY TO EASE ISOTOPE SHORTAGE
McMaster University is making a new medical isotope to compensate partly for the shortage caused by the shutdown of the nuclear reactor at Chalk River, ON, on May 15. However, the new isotope can only be made in small, expensive quantities and thus will only increase the numbers of scans for cancer and heart disease in Ontario by eight per cent. Because the new isotope has a shelf life of only 10 hours, McMaster will only supply hospitals in Hamilton and London.
Sat 13/06/2009 TORONTO: URANIUM CONTRACT IN KAZATOMPROM INTACT
Kazakhstan's state uranium company, Kazatomprom, says it will respect the terms of its joint venture with Uranium One Inc. of Canada. Kazatomprom's new president, Vladimir Shkolnik says his company understands its responsibility to provide uranium to the world's nuclear power industry. Its former president is involved in the Kazakh government's investigation of embezzlement and there has been concern that Uranium One could have been embroiled in an investigation that could have taken years. Kazatomprom also says it will meet with another partner, the Canadian firm Cameco Corp., the world's biggest uranium company. Kazakhstan has a fifth of the world's uranium reserves and is expected to become the world's top producer this year.
OTTAWA: GOVT. REJECTS NEW NUCLEAR REACTOR
A spokesman for the prime minister, meanwhile, has said the government agency that operates Chalk River, Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., is a "dysfunctional, $30-billion sinkhole." The spokesman says the government has put that amount into AECL over its history and that much of it was wasted. A group representing 400 scientists who engage in "neutron beam" research have proposed replacing the 52-year-old National Research Universal reactor, which among other tasks makes medical isotopes, with an updated version. The prime minister's spokesman says the proposal is out of the question.
Thursday 11 June 2009 OTTAWA: CANADA TO CEASE ISOTOPE PRODUCTION
Prime Minister Stephen Harper says Canada will stop producing medical isotopes. He made the revelation as the world tries to cope with a shortage of the nuclear material used for cancer and heart scans that was caused by the shutdown of the 50-year-old nuclear reactor at Chalk River, ON. The facility produces one-third of the world supply of isotopes. Mr. Harper says the government has decided to invest money to keep Chalk River operating until about 2016 but that between now and then alternatives must be found from other countries and research facilities, new technologies or assistance from private industry. The prime minister says there will continue to be difficulties with a reactor that is very old and not always dependable.
Thursday 11 June 2009 MDS urges Ottawa to restart Maple project
CEO says Harper's comments about ceasing isotope production are ‘curious;' company posts $17-million quarterly lossMDS Inc.'s (MDS-T5.700.101.79%)
chief executive officer said on Thursday that comments by Prime Minister Stephen Harper that Canada would eventually stop making medical isotopes were “curious” and “confusing,” and called on Ottawa to restart its mothballed Maple isotope reactor project.
Thursday 11 June 2009 OTTAWA: MINISTER APOLOGIZES FOR FLIPPANT REMARK
In related news, federal Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt apologized on Wednesday for a record remark referring to cancer, after having declined to do so on Tuesday. Having been deeply affected by personal experiences involving cancer, Mrs. Raitt says she had no intention to offend and offered a "clear apology" to any who were in fact offended. The minister made the reference in a conversation that was inadvertently recorded by her former press attachée, who then misplaced the recorder. In discussing the current shortage of medical isotopes, Mrs. Raitt described it as a "sexy" issue like cancer. The minister had refused to leave her cabinet post despite criticism by the opposition in the House of Commons and the public. The prime minister, Mr. Harper, dismissed the criticism as "cheap politics."
Wednesday 10 June 2009 OTTAWA: PM DEFENDS, OPPOSITION FLAYS EMBATTLED MINISTER
Recorded comments by federal Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt were again a topic in sharp exchange during question period in the House of Commons, as Prime Minister Stephen Harper defended and the opposition excoriated her. The comments made at a meeting on Jan. 30 were recorded by a tape recorder which was mislaid by a former aide. She refers to the shortage of medical isotopes caused by the shutdown of the nuclear reactor at Chalk River as a "sexy" issue from which political advantage could be wrung. Isotopes are used to carry out scans on cancer or cardiac patients. Mr. Harper told the house that his minister is "working around the clock" to ensure an adequate supply of isotopes, denouncing opposition critics for engaging in "cheap politics." Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff retorted: "The cheapest politics there is is to call a crisis a career opportunity." Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe and NDP chief Jack Layton said Canadians are scandalized by Mrs. Raitt's attitude. The minister responded by accusing the opposition of "political opportunism" and outlined the steps which the government has taken to resolve the shortage.
OTTAWA: HOSPITALS WILL RUN OUT OF ISOTOPES
Smaller hospitals across Canada have been advised they'll run out of medical isotopes this week. The Ontario Association of Nuclear Medicine says the hospitals have been told they won't receive shipments from nuclear reactors in The Netherlands and South Africa. Cancer and cardiac patients may have scheduled scans delayed. South African and Dutch reactors have increased production to compensate for the shutdown of the Chalk River reactor, which Atomic Energy of Canada closed on May 15 after finding a heavy-water leak. The Canadian reactor produces one-third of the world's medical isotopes and the shutdown has caused a global shortage.
Dear David and Diana:
The letter below is one I sent to Lisa Raitt on
Sunday.
A few days before, I sent similar letters to Steven Harper,
Marc Garneau, Rob Oliphant, Francis Scarpaleggia and Michael Ignatieff. The only
significant difference was the very last sentence, which I had not known
beforehand.
It appears your government is considering selling Atomic
Energy of Canada Limited to private interests, possibly international consortia.
If this is true, you might wish to reconsider based on the facts
below.
It is abundant energy that provides us with clean water and
air, safe and abundant food, protection of the environment, health care and
a host of other things that enrich our lives. Today, 85% of this energy comes
from oil, natural gas and coal (see the chart below). In other words, we depend
on fossil fuels for our jobs and all of the other good things in life.
The reality is that one-fifth of world energy is consumed to
provide transportation, and 95% is from oil simply because nothing else is
available on such a vast scale. Everything we have came from somewhere. Thus, it
is not unreasonable to attribute the current recession to high oil prices,
considering that people buy gasoline in preference to many other items,
including food.
A further reality is that the only way out of the energy
crunch is to greatly expand the use of nuclear energy to generate electricity.
This must become a high priority to protect our people and the environment.
The chart below shows the current world energy portfolio and
an estimate of what the future portfolio might look like. Only nuclear energy
has the capacity and reliability to provide the electricity necessary to replace
fossil fuels and provide good and steady jobs.
Reliable electricity is vitally important to
societies today and will become more so as oil and natural gas become scarce. It
will be many decades before there is enough nuclear dedicated to making hydrogen
to fuel air, road and off-road transport. The latter is for the farmer to grow
our food.
As these facts become better known, the rate of construction
of nuclear plants is accelerating. For example, as of February 2009, there were
45 new nuclear plants under construction in 14 countries. This compares to
January 2006 when 25 were under construction in 10 countries. These numbers
will continue to grow.
It is prudent for Canada to have its own source of nuclear
plants to ensure they can be constructed when needed.
It was brought to my attention recently
that it appears British Nuclear Fuels plc (BNFL) regrets selling Westinghouse to
Toshiba. You might wish to check this out.
Regards,
H. Douglas Lightfoot
8 Watterson
Baie d'Urfe QC H9X 3C2
From: Frank Kinnelly [mailto:kinnelly@charter.net]
Sent: June-09-09 10:10 PM
To: wednesday-night.com
Subject: Re: Douglas Lightfoot on proposed sale of AECL
Dear Diana,
I am one with Douglas in believing that nuclear must have a large role in our energy future. I hope that the proposed sale of AECL will not be a death knell for nuclear in Canada. But Douglas's chart fails to show that much of our future reliance on fossil energy will not be on oil but on coal and tar sands or shale, both of which cause even greater damage. It also fails to show any of the expected growth in renewables, or the important contribution that steps towards energy conservation will make. In short, nuclear is certainly part of the picture, but it would be an error to look on it as the sole response to our problems.
Love,
Frank
Wednesday 03 June 2009 US in nuclear disclosure blunder
A document listing confidential US nuclear information is withdrawn after being wrongly posted on a government website.
Wednesday 03 June 2009 OTTAWA: GOVT. DECLINES ISOTOPE SUPPLY PROMISES
The human resources minister, Mrs. Raitt, has told the House of Commons that she cannot make any promises to the country's hospitals regarding future availability of medical isotopes. The minister says it's hard to promise items that are in such short supply. However, she says there's no need to panic because Canada is negotiating with other isotope-producing countries to obtain alternative supplies. The Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. Crown corporation shut down the aging reactor at Chalk River, ON, on May 15 after finding a heavy-water leak. The reactor supplies one-third of the world's medical isotopes used to carry out cancer and heart scans. The federal and Ontario governments have advised doctors to work evenings and weekend to maximize isotope use before the nuclear material decays.
May 29, 2009 Manager sought for troubled reactor
Ottawa looks for private firm to run Chalk River nuclear research facility
(Toronto Star) OTTAWA–Canada wants a private company to manage the nuclear research facility that is home to an aging reactor responsible for a looming shortage of medical isotopes crucial to diagnostic tests. The federal government is launching a major restructuring
Friday 29 May 2009 OTTAWA: NEW FUTURE PLANNED FOR ATOMIC ENERGY OF CANADA
Canada's government has a plan to divide the federal enterprise, Atomic Energy of Canada, into two companies. Under the plan, one half of the company will sell off its nuclear reactor business in an attempt to increase international sales. The other half comprising the national research reactor at Chalk River, Ontario, will be privatized. The Chalk River reactor produces half of the world's supply of medical isotopes. But a heavy water leak will shut down the reactor for at least three months for repairs.
Wednesday 27 May 2009 OTTAWA: FORMER NUCLEAR OFFICIAL SAYS ISOTOPE CRISIS COULD LAST LONGER
The former head of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Linda Keen, says that the current shutdown of the nuclear reactor at Chalk River, ON, is far more serious than that of 2007 during her tenure. Both shutdowns are responsible for a world shortage of medical isotopes, which are made from nuclear materials produced at the plant. The latest shutdown occurred on May 15, after a heavy-water leak was detected. Mrs. Keen says the second shutdown is more serious because no one knows how long it will last, adding that there is uncertainty about corrosion, the leaks and the repair time required. The former regulator says the problem isn't of a regulatory nature but rather one of an old reactor. The federal government fired Mrs. Keen for her role in the previous crisis.
Sunday 24 May 2009 CHALK RIVER, ONTARIO: PLUGGING THE LEAK
Canadian nuclear scientists are working through the weekend to resolve a heavy-water leak at a nuclear reactor in Chalk River, Ontario. That reactor supplies almost half the world supply of isotopes, used in medical imaging and cancer treatment. The leak has forced an indefinite shutdown of the ageing facility, and that could lead to a rapid decline in the procedures that depend on those isotopes. The President of the Canadian Association of Nuclear Medicine, Dr. Jean-Luc Urbain, says this latest shutdown is a black eye for Canada, a country that led the initial development of radioactive materials for medical purposes. But, he notes, none of the other countries with similar production capabilities has done much to upgrade their ageing facilities either.
Thursday 21 May 2009 OTTAWA: GOVT. HAS ISOTOPE PLAN
Canada's Industry Minister Tony Clement says the Conservative Party government will launch a contingency plan to deal with a shortage of medical isotopes caused by a shutdown at a nuclear reactor in the province of Ontario. He says the government's plan will recommend that isotopes be saved for the most urgent cases, such as cancers, traumas, infections and blood clots in lungs. Last week, an Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. nuclear reactor at Chalk River, ON, was shut down by a power interruption. The 50-year-old reactor provides about half the global supply of isotopes used in medical imaging to diagnose and to treat cancer and other diseases. AECL says it expects to be able to meet demand until Saturday. An extended reactor shutdown in 2007 at the Canadian facility led to a critical global shortage of medical isotopes.
Wednesday 20 May 2009
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The United States and Russia have held two
days of successful talks on ways to slash vast stockpiles of
Cold War nuclear weapons, a Russian diplomat said on Wednesday.
Thursday 07 May 2009 OTTAWA: MINISTER TOUTING CANDU IN BALTICS
Federal Trade Minister Stockwell Day will visit the three Baltic states and Romania in an effort to promote sales of the Candu nuclear reactor. The minister is trying to open doors for Canadian firms involved in nuclear energy. Romania already has three Canadian reactors, while government-owned Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. is hoping to sell Lithuania its first. Lithuania is to build a new nuclear facility with Poland and the two other Baltic countries and has consulted with five international nuclear concerns. Canada's nuclear industry generates US$5.6 billion in revenues a year.
TORONTO: BAIL DENIED TO ALLEGED TECHNOLOGY SMUGGLER
A court refused bail to a 35-year-old Toronto man who alleged tried to ship nuclear technology to Iran. Thirty-five-year-old Mahmoud Yadegari, a Canadian citizen who is a native of Iran, was arrested last month after an eight-week joint investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the U.S. department of homeland security. Mr. Yadegari is accused of trying to export 10 "traducers" to Iran in violation of the Customs Act, the Export and Import Permits Act, and the UN sanctions against Iran. The world body imposed the sanctions in 2006 because of that country's alleged efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.
Sunday 26 April 2009 KIEV: GOVERNOR-GENERAL VISITING UKRAINE
On a state visit to Ukraine, Canada's Governor-General Michaelle Jean said that her talks with officials in Kiev have focused on technological cooperation, including the possible use of Canada's CANDU nuclear reactors. The talks also dealt with ways to help Ukraine upgrade its transport system for natural gas. The Governor General also said that Canada and other industrialized nations must help Ukraine to find permanent solutions to the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
Friday 24 April 2009 TORONTO: JUDGMENT PENDING ON ACCUSED NUCLEAR SMUGGLER
A court has reserved judgment in the case of a Toronto man accused of trying to smuggle to Iran devices that have nuclear applications. Mahmoud Yadegari was arrested last week after an investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the U.S. department of homeland security. Mr. Yadegari will be back in court on May 4. The U.S. and Canadian authorities allege that he tried to obtain and to export to Iran "pressure traducers," which can be used in the production of enriched uranium. He's charged under the Customs Act, the Export and Import Permits Act and also with violation of the UN Security Council's ban in 2006 on the export of nuclear technology to Iran. Mr. Yadegari is a Canadian citizen who emigrated from Iran in 1998.
Friday 24 April 2009 US and Russia hold nuclear talks
Negotiators for the US and Russia meet in Rome to begin work on a new treaty to curb nuclear weapons.
Nuclear power
Atomic renaissance Sep 6th 2007 I 
Andy Nulman 
