Chalk River, Ontario… Cheryl Gallant, MP Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke, took the opportunity recently to bring congratulations from Prime Minister Stephen Harper to employees of Atomic Energy of Canada (AECL) in recognition of long service to the company.
“At a special dinner in their honour, it was my pleasure to recognize the years of service of AECL as well as to celebrate the news that repairs to the NRU reactor at Chalk River are now complete,” said Cheryl Gallant, MP. “The best news is that once the reactor is restarted, medical isotopes will be ready to be harvested within 10 days.”
With the NRU repairs complete, AECL has applied to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to hold a public hearing to consider its application for the restart of the NRU reactor. A hearing date has been scheduled for June 28, 2010.

“At this time I would like to thank all employees and their families for their patience and support while the reactor was being prepared. Unfortunately, the Official Opposition, encouraged by uninformed members of the media, have used the time required to make the necessary repairs to the aged NRU reactor to score cheap political points,” stated MP Gallant. “I intend to continue to press for the need to build a new, multi-purpose research reactor for the day that is coming when the NRU will need to be de-commissioned. Now is not the time to become complacent even though the repairs are complete.”

“The MAPLES fiasco demonstrated that the $1 billion cost to replace the NRU would be irresponsible if the sole reason for building a reactor was to produce medical isotopes. It was in that context that the Minister of Natural Resources, who AECL reports through, assured me that he was ‘selectively’ quoted recently by a city newspaper. Isotope production and a new research reactor are two separate issues. I am pleased to provide the Minister’s complete quote:”

"Canada has some of the greatest minds in the world and we are giving them the tools they need to diversify our sources of medical isotopes and reduce the production of radioactive waste. Canada pioneered the creation of technetium-99 from a nuclear reactor and we are now looking to a new form of production in Canada; one with the potential to create new scientific opportunities and new intellectual property. The Expert Review Panel noted that a research reactor has the lowest technological risk for producing a secure supply of isotopes but recognized that it was the most expensive and least economically viable option. Simply replacing the NRU would not develop the diversity and redundancy that the Panel believed were necessary for security of supply. The estimated $1 billion cost of a new reactor, which does not include the costs of associated processing facilities, and of which isotope production would only ever cover a small fraction, make such an investment irresponsible on the basis of isotopes alone."

“The Minister of Natural Resources has been absolutely consistent that a fully-developed, fully-costed business plan needs to be developed for a new multi-purpose research reactor. Locally, we have started that process through the excellent presentation by the CREATE committee. I look forward to working with the CREATE committee and all members of the AECL community as we work together towards the long term future prosperity of the nuclear industry in Canada,” concluded Cheryl Gallant, MP.