BONNYVILLE – In light of the recent proposal for a small modular reactor (SMR) site in the MD of Bonnyville, Professor Jason Donev, who teaches Energy Science at the University of Calgary, has offered an expert opinion on nuclear energy.
In addition, Adrian Foster, Mayor of Clarington, Ont., has also offered some insight into his community's experience with nuclear energy.
Professor Donev
Donev has a PHD in Physics and teaches in the energy science program at the University of Calgary, which includes a course on nuclear power. He explains that nuclear reactors are designed to take care of things in the event that something goes wrong.
During the initial proposal from Nucleon Energy for a SMR in Bonnyville, the organization explained the high level of security and fortification that guards the reactor sites against damage - even from a potential terrorist attack.
Donev agrees that security measures on reactor sites are “top notch” but explains that reactors are not good targets for terrorists in the first place, and that aiming a plane into a compact nuclear site is “a remarkably difficult thing” to accomplish.
“There have been tests done . . . [where] they have taken the containment building [from a large reactor site] and they have strapped a jet plane to a rail car to get it going at full speed. What happens is it vaporizes the airplane, and the wall is still fine. The engineering that goes into these is phenomenally robust and complex,” said Donev.
Donev continued to explain that the robust containment building was one of the missing factors in the RBMK design of Chernobyl that the Soviets built with affordability in mind and an efficient speed at which it could be turned on and off.
Regarding concerns about Chernobyl, Donev offered the analogy of the Ford Pinto.
“The Ford Pinto’s safety design just sucked for various reasons . . . It had a high risk of bursting into flames. Twenty-seven people were killed, and many were injured . . . but just because the Ford Pinto in the 1970s would burst into flames doesn't mean your car is going to. So, the same thing is true with the RBMK reactor,” said Donev.
Donev said much has been learned since the nuclear disasters of Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and even Fukushima.
“With Fukushima, no one died from radiation release. As far as we can tell, nobody got cancer from radiation release. One of the workers did die of lung cancer but he was a smoker. That’s not the case with Chernobyl. They did a bunch of things wrong that [other countries] knew not to do. Even still, Chernobyl is not as bad as you think,” said Donev.
“Chernobyl is part of the public consciousnesseses . . . In recent years I’ve had more questions about Fukushima than Chernobyl, and I certainly know about others that you haven't heard of like the SL-1 disaster, but the thing that really captures people's minds about Chernobyl is that it was bad enough that people really died,” said Donev.
When asked about the current risk associated with nuclear power, Donev commented that it is lower risk than installing solar panels on a roof, and easily 100 times safer than oil and gas.
“[The carbon footprint] is very small, comparable to solar, but more people die putting solar panels on their roofs than die from nuclear. More people die in the oil and gas sector in Alberta every year than died from the nuclear effects of Fukushima.” said Donev.
Regarding nuclear waste transportation, Donev commented that for decades we’ve already been transporting medical isotopes that are thousands of times more radioactive. Counter-intuitively, Donec explains that raw nuclear fuel is not as radioactive as spent fuel.
“Spent nuclear fuel is a lot more radioactive than when it starts, it’s just that it gets less radioactive with time,” said Donev.
Donev encourages the researching of different types of SMR’s that could be built in Canada, if those in the Bonnyville region are interested in a SMR.
“Ontario and Saskatchewan have both decided to build the BWRX . . . Moltex is another reactor, I’m particularly excited about the Moltex design myself . . . There’s all these different reactor types. The difference among all of these is considerable in a lot of ways,” said Donev.
He also spoke to the standards of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) and the significant challenges of getting a SMR approved.
“There are more hurdles to getting a nuclear reactor built than you think . . . Even if you have everyone running around with pitchforks screaming ‘We need nuclear now!’, everyone is in favour, and you had the money, it could still be 20 years,” said Donev.
“To be clear, nuclear power, even when you include the Chernobyl's and Fukushima's . . . on a per kilowatt hour basis, is the safest form of energy. If you look at the amount of energy you’re getting out and the number of people who’ve been hurt by it, nuclear is the safest."
Mayor Adrian Foster
Clarington is home to the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, which is comprised of four CANDU nuclear reactors that provide about 20 per cent of Ontario's power - and the municipality is building an additional SMR.
Mayor Foster chairs the Canadian association of Nuclear Host Communities (CANHC).
“We represent host communities across Canada and are part of the Global Partnership of Nuclear Communities. We also represent communities that are considering becoming host communities,” said Foster.
Foster said CANHC is not interested in telling communities what to do, instead it aims to be a platform where communities can share their experiences.
“In Clarington, we are a willing and proud host community. I've got a couple of thousand people who show up to work every day and provide 20 per cent of the electricity [in Ontario]. So, this is affordable, reliable, and I can't say no carbon emitting, but exceptionally low carbon emitting power,” said Foster.
When asked if he is concerned about any risk involved with Clarington’s nuclear reactor site, Foster responded, “My house is about 5 km away from the plant . . . I have absolutely no concerns at all. I sleep well at night.”
Foster reports that between the refurbishment of their CANDU reactors and the building of the new SMR, the Conference Board of Canada estimates that it has a $100 billion uplift to the Canadian economy.
“The growth for electrical need is huge and there is no way that we can provide that electricity in a carbon friendly fashion without nuclear being part of the solution. There are many pieces to [the solution], which include renewables and include oil and gas. There is no one silver bullet,” said Foster.
Foster believes there are many people coming to the realization that nuclear should be included on the path to carbon neutrality.
In addition, Foster said one of the joys of being involved internationally with nuclear is that Canada can monitor how things are done elsewhere.
Foster touts CNSC as being recognized as one of the best regulators on the planet. Despite hearing backlash from anti-nuclear groups saying CNSC is biased towards supporting nuclear, Foster said they deal with CNSC closely and that they are “absolutely” not biased.
“First and foremost, their concern is for the safety and security of human health and the environment. We have a regulator with a tremendous amount of breadth and depth. I believe they have 900 people working with them, many of whom are international experts,” said Foster.
Foster said the footprint of their nuclear plant is “quite astounding” in how compact it is and how the waste also has an “incredibly small footprint,” mentioning the significant progress being made on plans for a deep geological repository.
“If you ever get the opportunity to get in behind a power plant, you'll see this fairly large plant and you get down to where the turbines are - the generator hall. The turbines are not huge. You're looking at these things I’d describe as something a tractor trailer could pull. Four of these things are providing 20 per cent of the power in Ontario,” said Foster.
Foster compared the diversity in SMR technology to the diversity in models of cars and encouraged communities to investigate the specific technologies proposed.
For concerns over property devaluation in the wake of a SMR, foster commented that the increase in economic activity could actually cause property values to go up.
Foster said CNSC has made a large amount of information publicly available, and that education and dialogue are necessary in a community's decision on nuclear.
“Having a willing and fully informed community is exceptionally important,” said Foster.
