Anumber of questions have arisen about Bruce Power’s plan to ship 16 radioactive waste steam generators from the Bruce A refurbishment through Owen Sound to Sweden.

It appears this plan contravenes previous undertakings and commitments made by Bruce Power and accepted by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission as part of the environmental assessment for the refurbishment.

In the December 2005 environment assessment, Bruce Power promises to transfer all radioactive waste from the refurbishment project to Ontario Power Generation’s Western Waste Management Facility on the Bruce site, without using any public roads.

The report says, “As noted, refurbishment activities are expected to generate (low-level wastes) and (intermediate-level wastes), including pressure tubes and calandria tubes, >the old steam generators, and miscellaneous components. All radioactive wastes will be transferred to OPG’s WWMF following assurance that they meet OPG’s acceptance criteria. Transfer to the WWMF will occur entirely within the Bruce Power site and not require the use of public roads.”

When was the decision taken by Bruce Power to transport radioactive wastes in the form of the old steam generators on public roads to Owen Sound and then ship them through Georgian Bay, lakes Huron, St. Clair, Erie and Ontario, the St.

Lawrence River and the Atlantic Ocean to Sweden? How was that decision arrived at and who was involved in the process? When was the CNSC notified that Bruce Power was going to deviate from the environmental assessment? When did CNSC or the federal Department of the Environment authorize Bruce Power to deviate from that procedure?

Further, Bruce Power’s written presentation to the joint council of the Saugeen Ojibway nations in April 2005, says, “Bruce Power is committed to reducing, reusing and recycling wastes produced at the Bruce Power site to the extent possible. For example, scrap metals that are proven not to be radioactive are recycled. However, much of the waste, and particularly low-and intermediate-level waste containing radioactivity, cannot be recycled for safety and environmental reasons. This waste is transferred to OPG’s Western Waste Management Facility where it is processed to reduce its volume prior to being placed in storage.”

Yet now Bruce Power wants to ship these corroded and radioactively contaminated steam generators to Sweden, where Studsvik will partially decontaminate and recycle up to 90% of the radioactive metal, selling it as scrap metal for unrestricted use, even if it still contains measurable levels of plutonium-239, cesium-137, cobalt-60 and other man-made radioactive contaminants.

Which leads to a second set of questions.

Where and when did Bruce Power decide to abandon the principle that low-and intermediate- level waste containing radioactivity cannot be recycled for safety and environmental reasons? Where and when did OPG, the CNSC and the Department of the Environment give their assents? Where and when was the joint council of the Saugeen Ojibway nation informed?

As recently as September 2007, in the Proposed Work Plan/Bruce A Refurbishment/ Follow-Up Monitoring Program, there is no mention of the steam generators being sent to Sweden. Instead we read:

“Does the EA (environmental assessment) consider long-term storage of the wastes?

“The EA for the project considers the production of the wastes and transfer of the wastes to the WWMF until 2043. OPG is currently undertaking a separate EA to expand the WWMF for interim storage of low-and intermediate- level wastes … The long-term management of these wastes is an aspect of the Deep Geological Repository Proposal that is under study by OPG and the Municipality of Kincardine.”

The same document reads:

“Is there room at the WWMF for the refurbishment wastes now, or will Bruce Power need to wait for the expansion? The WWMF is a licensed facility for the storage of nuclear wastes from Ontario nuclear generating stations. The WWMF is planning to build additional storage structures within its licensed boundary to accommodate the waste from the project, along with the wastes from other nuclear-generating station refurbishment projects in the future.”

When did OPG authorize Bruce Power to ship the old steam generators to Sweden instead of to the Western Waste Management Facility? Who at OPG was responsible for that decision? When was CNSC notified of OPG’s change of position and accept this change?

Gordon Edwards is president of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility.