Nuclear regulators have withheld critical safety and operating information the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission needed to make licensing decisions for the Darlington and Bruce generating stations in Ontario, according to an anonymous letter to CNSC President Michael Binder from a group who identify themselves as technical specialists.
“The letter says hazards have been underestimated, plant operators have been permitted to skip requirements of the licensing regime, and assessments outlining what could happen in the event of a major-scale nuclear disaster—such as the one that occurred in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011—have been withheld from the commissioners and the public,” the Globe and Mail reports.
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“Our primary concern is that CNSC commissioners do not receive sufficient information to make balanced judgments,” the officials wrote. “Because insufficient information is made available, other branches of government cannot make informed decisions. For example, the government of Ontario cannot make a good decision about financing the refurbishment of Darlington without knowing all the facts.”
While it’s impossible to verify the origins of the letter, “environmentalists who received copies of the document say the level of detail, the manner of speaking, and the amount of complexity suggest it was written by someone with inside knowledge,” the Globe writes. “And, they say, the problems are symptomatic of a culture at the commission in which employees are expected to act as boosters of the nuclear industry rather than watchdogs of nuclear safety.”
The authors of the letter, who insisted on anonymity because they lacked confidence in whistle-blower protections, copied their missive to Greenpeace Canada senior energy analyst Shawn-Patrick Stensil and Canadian Environmental Law Association Executive Director Theresa McClenaghan.
“We’ve seen the CNSC become a cheerleader for the nuclear industry since the Harper government fired former CNSC president Linda Keen,” Stensil, told the Globe, adding that CNSC knows about but is ignoring additional risks at operating nuclear plants—just as Japanese regulators did at Fukushima.
“That’s not a nuts-and-bolts or an engineering issue,” he said. “That’s a safety culture issue.”
Spokespeople for Ontario Power Generation and Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr both defended the safety of the province’s operating nuclear stations. Based on “extensive and thorough studies” conducted during the licensing process, “our plants are safe to operate and will protect the environment and the public,” said OPG’s Neal Kelly.
