Ottawa- The much-anticipated report from an independent energy consultant regarding the Chalk River Nuclear reactor reveals some of the sources of last falls crisis.
The report, issued by independent consultants Talisman International talks about junior staff at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, who evidently knew needed upgrades had not been done yet.
The report also squarely lays blame at the feet of Nuclear reactor unit managers who didn’t understand that these required safety upgrades were not only required, but that they had not been completed at all.
The Chalk River Ontario Isotope Nuclear Reactor produces rare isotopes that are used worldwide in medical procedures, and the sudden shutdown last fall put the world supply in a literal crisis, and caused an international uproar and scandal.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission had previously ordered as many as seven upgrades by December of 2005, but these had not been done as of the fall of 2007.
The license to operate as a nuclear reactor was contingent that these upgrades be completed and the plant fully operational again by December 31st 2005.
The study by the Talisman group was completed in June, and released to the public by the Canada Atomic Energy Ltd.
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