Zircatec presentation
Project Proposal for SEU Candu Fuel Production (PDF 2.41 MB)
February 12, 2007 - The environmental assessment (EA) of a new production line at Zircatec Precision Industries was the subject of an open house hosted by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) on Monday, Feb. 12 at the Town Park Recreation Centre in Port Hope. Approximately 75 people attended the information session.
Chris Taylor, acting director, Environmental Assessment Division, explained to the audience that at this early stage of the process – presentation of the draft EA guidelines – the purpose of the session was to allow the public to provide input to the draft EA guidelines for the Zircatec project.
Throughout the evening, all public questions and comments were recorded and will be considered in the CNSC's preparation of the final EA guidelines. Also, comments and questions can be submitted to CNSC in writing and must be received by March 9, 2007. Based on the public input, the CNSC staff, in their submission to the commission, will indicate where and how changes to the draft guidelines were made. The final EA guidelines will be posted on the CNSC website and anyone can request a copy.
Taylor provided an overview of the CNSC, its mission and role, and its environmental assessment obligations and responsibilities under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. He outlined the EA process and explained that while the CNSC is the responsible authority for the conduct of the EA, other federal authorities provide expert advice, including Health Canada, Environment Canada and Natural Resources Canada.
Following Taylor's overview of the EA process, Andrew Oliver, vice-president of Zircatec, made a presentation on Zircatec's project proposal. He explained that in order to supply one of its customers, Bruce Power, with a new type of fuel bundle that will enhance Candu reactor efficiency, Zircatec plans to introduce a new production line. The new fuel bundles contain slightly enriched uranium dioxide (SEU) in the outer elements, with blended dysprosium oxide and natural uranium dioxide, known as BDU, in the centre element. Dysprosium oxide is an inert white powder that is also used to manufacture specialized ceramics and glasses, as well as in the electronics industry. Zircatec has applied to the CNSC for a modification to its operating licence to allow for increase quantities of SEU on-site.
Oliver provided background on the company and its manufacturing operations, which he said can be thought of in simple terms as a "canning operation." Uranium dioxide powder is pressed into pellets, which are heated in a furnace to make them hard and dense. The pellets are placed in zirconium tubes made at Zircatec's plant in Cobourg. The tubes are arranged into groups to form the shape of a bundle and are used in Candu nuclear reactors.
Oliver pointed out that the activities permitted under Zircatec's current licence demonstrate that they are already working with enriched uranium and, in fact, Zircatec has worked safety with small amounts of enriched uranium for more than forty years. During his presentation, Oliver provided background information on a number of areas related to the proposed project, including stringent safety standards, transportation of SEU as incoming powder and outgoing bundles, and facility designs to ensure physical separation of materials.
Oliver concluded his presentation by saying that the new production line will not require an expansion of the facility. An additional 50 jobs will be created, but there will be no change in the total uranium production rate. He said that most important for the environmental assessment, there will be no increase in total uranium emissions.
The final formal presentation of the evening was from Kiza Francis, the environmental assessment officer at the CNSC responsible for the Zircatec SEU fuel production EA, who provided an overview of the draft EA guidelines. Francis said the purpose of the guidelines is to provide guidance on the scope of the EA by setting out in clear terms what will be assessed and how it will be assessed, and to ensure the EA is focused on relevant issues and concerns. She said the objective of this session was to ensure that the public is involved at this planning stage of the EA process.
Francis explained that the draft EA Guidelines include three key sections that outline the "what" and "how" of the assessment. This includes the scope of the project, the factors to be considered in the assessment such as the environmental effects, and the methodology of the EA. The input and comment period ends on March 9. All submissions need to be into the CNSC by this date. Once all comments are received, the draft EA guidelines will be revised and a commission panel hearing will be held to consider the final EA guidelines.
More information on the CNSC and its role in the EA process is available on their website.
