Public safety will be “priority one” if radioactive recyclables are shipped through the Welland Canal, the mayor of St. Catharines said after meeting with nuclear safety regulators Tuesday.

The Bruce Nuclear Generating Station has asked for a licence to ship low-level radioactive generators from Lake Huron through the Welland Canal and the rest of the St. Lawrence Seaway to a recycling plant in Sweden.

The plan drew criticism from many municipal officials along the route, including Garden City Mayor Brian McMullan, who said the proposal required consultation with city leaders and the public.

Officials with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, which will decide whether to approve or deny the licence, travelled to St. Catharines Tuesday to talk with McMullan, Thorold Mayor Henry D’Angela and Port Colborne Mayor Vance Badawey at city hall.

After the meeting, McMullan said he was “satisfied” the commission is taking municipal concerns seriously.

“I’m confident they won’t approve this … unless a very detailed plan is put in place that would ensure public safety,” McMullan said after the private meeting. “To my mind, that means a proper security plan, as well as mitigation measures in the event of an emergency, from the day they leave to the ultimate arrival in Sweden.”

McMullan said commission officials emphasized the licence hasn’t yet been approved, but at the same time assured local politicians they consider the risk involved “very low, even negligible.”

Ramzi Jammal, executive vice-president of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, gave the same message Monday to the municipal council in Owen Sound, where the 16 bus-sized generators will be loaded onto a ship at the city docks.

“The CNSC will not issue a licence until we are satisfied this activity is safe. We will not cause a risk to the public,” Jammal told council.

Bruce Power spokesman John Peevers said last week the “very low-level radiation” is well within Canadian regulatory limits for transportation. Power plant officials have estimated a person standing near one of the 100-tonne generators for two hours would be exposed to the same amount of radiation found in a medical X-ray. Each generator will also be sealed inside a steel shell.

Each of the generators contains steel that can be decontaminated and reused, according to Bruce Power officials, but about 10% of the material is thought to be too radioactive to recycle and will be returned to the Lake Huron facility for storage. While McMullan said he appreciated the meeting with commission officials, if the licence is approved he’ll still “formally request notification” from Bruce Power of the dates the radioactive material is expected to travel through the canal.

“We would want to be aware, to make sure our fire department and emergency response team is properly informed,” he said. “That’s just due diligence on behalf of our area municipalities.”

via Nuclear regulators promise safe shipping – St. Catharines Standard – Ontario, CA.