Country profile: Canada

Summary figures for 2010

Country	Number of nuclear power plants connected to the grid	Nuclear electricity generation (net TWh) 2010		Nuclear percentage of total electricity supply
Canada	17	85.3	*	15.0
OECD America	123	893.9		18.6
OECD Total	342	2 183.7		21.8

* Provisional data

Country report

Uranium

Remediation of the Cigar Lake underground mine, which became flooded in October 2006, is progressing slowly. Cameco had conducted work to seal off the breach, however when attempting to de-water the underground development, inflow of groundwater increased to the point where operations had to be halted. Cameco is conducting investigations into the cause of the latest inflow before proceeding with remediation. Production from the mine is not expected until 2012 at the earliest. Cigar Lake, with about 87 000 tU at an average grade of approximately 17.6% U, is the world second-largest high-grade uranium deposit and is expected to have an annual production of 7 000 tU.

On 19 July 2007, uranium hexafluoride (UF6) production was halted at Cameco’s Port Hope conversion facility after the discovery of sub-surface uranium contamination. The source of the contamination was investigated and production resumed on 30 September 2008 when remedial activities were completed. On 28 November 2008, UF6 production was suspended until the second half of 2009 due to a shortage of hydrofluoric acid, an integral component of the conversion process.

Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy represents an important component of Canada’s electricity sources. In 2008, nuclear energy provided 15% of Canada’s total electricity needs (over 50% in Ontario) and should continue to play an important role in supplying Canada with power in the future.

Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL)

In November 2007, the Minister of Natural Resources announced that, as part of its commitment to good governance, the Government will conduct a full review of AECL. The review is still underway and is expected to take some months before the Government can be in a position to make a decision.

Meanwhile, AECL is pursuing the development of the Advanced CANDU Reactor (ACR-1000), the next generation of CANDU nuclear power reactor. It represents an evolution of the best CANDU features and incorporates up-to-date modular design and construction techniques. The Government of Canada is investing in the development of the ACR.

The MAPLE Reactors Project

In May 2008, AECL announced that, after careful review and analysis, it decided to discontinue development work of the MAPLE reactors located at its Chalk River Laboratories. The decision was based on a series of reviews that considered, among other things, the costs of further development, as well as the time frame and risks involved with continuing the project.

The decision to discontinue development of the MAPLE reactors had no impact on the supply of medical isotopes as isotope production continues through AECL National Research Universal reactor (NRU) and associated facilities at Chalk River. The NRU currently has an operating site licence from the CNSC that is valid until 31 October 2011. AECL is working closely with CNSC and MDS Nordion on the requirements for continued production beyond that date.

Prospects for New Build

Several new nuclear build projects are being considered by public and private companies in Canada. The actual number of new reactor units to be built hinges largely on refurbishment plans for the existing units. Both Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and Bruce Power submitted formal applications to the CNSC for new reactor construction at their Darlington and Bruce sites, respectively. In June 2008, the Ontario Government announced it had selected OPG’s Darlington site for new reactor construction. Although Bruce Power’s proposal was not selected by the Ontario Government, it still intends to build new reactors at its site on Lake Huron.

In March 2008, the Ontario Government announced a two-phase competitive procurement process to choose a preferred nuclear vendor. A commercial team, led by Infrastructure Ontario, is managing the procurement process. In February 2009, AECL, along with AREVA and Westinghouse, submitted bids.

An application has also been filed by Bruce Power Alberta to build up to four reactors that could produce 4 000 megawatts of electricity in Alberta. Finally, the Government of New Brunswick is examining the feasibility to build a second reactor in the province; and the Government of Alberta and Saskatchewan have both undertaken comprehensive studies to examine the potential use of nuclear power to meet their future electricity requirements.

Refurbishment

Refurbishment projects estimated at over CAD 9 billion are currently underway or have been announced in Ontario (~CAD 6 billion), New Brunswick (~CAD 1.4 billion) and Quebec (~CAD 1.9 billion). The two utilities in Ontario, OPG and Bruce Power, are also examining the case to extend the life of the Bruce B, Pickering B and Darlington reactors, as key elements of their long term strategy.

International Developments

CANDU Reactors Abroad

Currently, there are nine CANDU-6 reactors in operation outside of Canada. There are four CANDU reactors in operation in South Korea, two in China and Romania and one in Argentina.

Generation IV International Forum (GIF)

On 28 February 2005, Canada signed an international commitment as part of the Generation IV International Forum (GIF), an initiative that provides a framework for conducting long-term multi-lateral R&D to develop Generation IV nuclear energy systems. The impetus behind GIF is to develop nuclear reactor designs (for deployment beyond 2025) that address the challenges facing nuclear technologies today. Canada is one of the members of GIF, and has been active in developing the GIF policy framework and providing technical expertise.

Of the six reactor systems under development within the GIF, Canada participates in two: the Supercritical Water-cooled Reactor (SCWR) and the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR). Canada plays a leadership role in the development of the SCWR and we currently hold the chair of the SCWR System Steering Committee.

Modernisation of the Nuclear Liability Act

In the previous Parliament, proposed legislation to update and modernise Canada’s nuclear civil liability regime was introduced as Bill C-5 (Nuclear Liability and Compensation Act). It proceeded as far as Third Reading Debate Stage in the House of Commons before it died with the cessation of Parliament following an election call in September 2008. At this point in time, any decision to move forward on introducing a similar Bill rests with the Government.

Bill C-5 would have replaced the Nuclear Liability Act, legislation proclaimed in 1976, which governs civil liability in the event that an incident at a nuclear power plant results in civil damages in Canada. The Nuclear Liability Act sets out a comprehensive scheme of civil liability for injury and damage arising from nuclear accidents, and a compensation system for victims. It embodies the principles of absolute and exclusive liability of the operator, mandatory insurance, and limitations on the operator’s liability in both time and amount.

Some of the features of Bill C-5 would have included increased liability of nuclear operators (CAD 650 million versus the current CAD 75 million), a mechanism for periodic updating of the operator’s liability, a longer limitation period for submitting compensation claims for bodily injury (30 years versus the current 10 years), clarification of a number of key concepts and definitions, and greater definition of compensation procedures.

Nuclear Fuel Waste

On 15 November 2002, the Nuclear Fuel Waste (NFWA) came into force and required the nuclear utilities to establish the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO). Under the NFWA, the NWMO is required to develop long-term waste management options for nuclear fuel waste and to implement the government-selected approach. The NFWA requires the NWMO to submit a study of options to the Minister of Natural Resources by 15 November 2005. The NWMO submitted its Study on 3 November 2005.

On 14 June 2007, the Government of Canada announced that it had selected the Adaptive Phased Management (APM) approach for the long-term management of nuclear fuel waste in Canada. The APM approach recognises that people benefiting from nuclear energy produced today must take steps to ensure that the wastes are dealt with responsibly and without unduly burdening future generations. At the same time, it is sufficiently flexible to adjust to changing social and technological developments. The NWMO is required to implement the Government’s decision according to the NFWA, using funds provided by the waste owners.

Following the decision, the NWMO develop its first five-year implementation plan in consultation with stakeholders and citizens. The plan, published on January 2009, describes how the organisation intends to move forward with implementing the APM approach. The NWMO also re-established its relationships with interested Canadians and stakeholders who were involved in the first phase of its work and invited them to participate in the important work ahead towards implementing the APM approach. Now that the plan is confirmed, the NWMO will begin dialogues mainly in the four nuclear provinces, namely Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan, to begin to develop a process for identifying a suitable site in an informed, willing host community, with discussion around the principles on which a process should be based. Through subsequent phases of engagement, the NWMO will bring forward a draft siting process proposal for review and discussion with Canadians. The launch of the draft siting proposal is expected to occur in May 2009. It is likely to take a number of years before a suitable site within an informed and willing host community is found. Siting will not begin until the siting process has been discussed and confirmed, and the readiness of the NWMO’s public engagement programme has been well-defined and confirmed.

In March 2008, the NWMO submitted its proposed funding formula for long-term waste management to the Minister of Natural Resources for approval. The funding formula ensures that sufficient funds will be available to pay for the long-term management of Canada’s nuclear fuel waste. The Government is reviewing the NWMO’s proposed funding formula and expects to make a decision shortly. For information about the NWMO, refer to: www.nwmo.ca.

Source: Nuclear Energy Data 2009

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Last reviewed: 7 October 2011