Isotope firm urges Ottawa to revive new reactors

OTTAWA, ONTARIO - A supplier of medical isotopes crucial to diagnostic tests urged the federal government to bring a project that would have replaced the aging nuclear reactor at Chalk River back from the dead.

Ottawa-based MDS Nordion wants a panel of international experts to weigh in on whether the shelved MAPLE project at the heart of its $1.6 billion lawsuit against Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. and the Canadian government should be revived as a long-term solution to the fragile global supply.

"I think these are exceptional circumstances," MDS Nordion president Steve West said in an interview, on why his company decided to break the silence on its dispute over the project.

MDS Nordion has an exclusive revenue-sharing agreement with AECL to distribute the isotopes produced by the NRU reactor, which is now expected to be out of service for at least three months.

"We felt that we had to encourage the government to bring in this consortium of experts to restart the MAPLE project because it really truly is the only viable option going forward for a secure long-term supply of isotopes," West said.

The government supported an AECL decision to cancel the MAPLE 1 and MAPLE 2 reactors in May 2008 due to design flaws and significant cost overruns.

Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt said that MDS Nordion could submit its proposal to an expert panel reviewing alternatives but reviving the project would not be a quick fix. "I wouldn't want people to think that it can just be switched on because it simply cannot," Raitt told reporters.

Related News

electric meter

Nova Scotia regulator approves 14% electricity rate hike, defying premier

HALIFAX - Nova Scotia regulators approved a 14 per cent electricity rate hike on Thursday, defying calls by Premier Tim Houston to reject the increase.

Rates will rise on average by 6.9 per cent each year in 2023 and 2024.

The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (UARB) issued a 203-page decision ratifying most of the elements in a settlement agreement reached between Nova Scotia Power and customer groups after Houston's government legislated a rate, spending and profit cap on the utility in November.

The board said approval was in the public interest and the increase is "reasonable and appropriate."

"The board cannot simply…

READ MORE
Power Outage Disrupts Travel at BWI Airport

Power Outage Disrupts Travel at BWI Airport

READ MORE

substation attack

Neo-Nazi, woman accused of plotting 'hate-fueled attacks' on power stations, federal complaint says

READ MORE

Uk renewables

Wind and solar make more electricity than nuclear for first time in UK

READ MORE

ukrainians-find-new-energy-solutions-to-overcome-winter-blackouts

Ukrainians Find New Energy Solutions to Overcome Winter Blackouts

READ MORE