Isotope supplier disputes OttawaÂ’s version of events
The CBC said officials of MDS Nordion told a hearing in Ottawa that they were blunt when they met with officials from the Department of Natural Resources on Nov. 22.
"We were very clear. This was a crisis situation. We had a global supply issue that was going to impact nuclear medicine and physicians around the world," said Grant Malkoske, vice-president of Strategic Technologies at MDS.
The company reprocesses isotopes produced by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. in Chalk River, Ont., and sells them to pharmaceutical companies around the world.
Chalk River, which was shut down for safety reasons Nov. 18, provides two-thirds of the world's medical isotopes, used for medical imaging and diagnostic scans for fractures, cancer and heart conditions.
Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn had said he didn't know of the looming crisis until Dec. 3, when the media reported it. Health Minister Tony Clement has said he was unaware until Dec. 5.
The reactor's closure caused a critical shortage of isotopes, which can't be stockpiled because of their short shelf life.
The shortage forced the government to bring in special legislation to restart the nuclear reactor, which led to the firing of the head of Canada's nuclear regulator, Linda Keen.
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Two new electricity interconnectors planned for UK
LONDON - Ofgem has opened bids to build two electricity interconnectors between the UK and continental Europe.
The energy regulator said this would “bring forward billions of pounds of investment” in the subsea cables, which can import cheaper energy when needed and export surplus power from the UK when it is available.
Developers will be invited to submit bids to build the interconnectors next year. Ofgem will additionally run a pilot scheme for ‘multiple-purpose interconnectors’, which are used to link clusters of offshore wind farms to an interconnector.
This forms part of the UK Government drive to more than double capacity by 2030,…
