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Question: When is a plan not a plan? Answer: When it is Atomic Energy of Canada Limited's "cleanup" proposal for the town of Port Hope, Ontario. At a packed hearing last week, Canada's nuclear regulator, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, listened to presentations on the proposal from its staff, AECL, private citizens, and volunteer organizations - roughly 100 presentations in all, spanning 17 hours of hearing time. AECL is asking for a licence for a low level radioactive waste site. The site will house approximately 1.5 million cubic metres of nuclear and industrial waste, collected from the community over the course of the next decade. The proposal was approved in 2007, following a six-year environmental assessment. The ensuing licensing process should have been fairly straight forward - hash out a few technical details and get shovels in the ground.

Question: When is a plan not a plan? Answer: When it is Atomic Energy of Canada Limited's "cleanup" proposal for the town of Port Hope, Ontario. At a packed hearing last week, Canada's nuclear regulator, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, listened to presentations on the proposal from its staff, AECL, private citizens, and volunteer organizations - roughly 100 presentations in all, spanning 17 hours of hearing time. AECL is asking for a licence for a low level radioactive waste site. The site will house approximately 1.5 million cubic metres of nuclear and industrial waste, collected from the community over the course of the next decade. The proposal was approved in 2007, following a six-year environmental assessment. The ensuing licensing process should have been fairly straight forward - hash out a few technical details and get shovels in the ground.

Question: When is a plan not a plan? Answer: When it is Atomic Energy of Canada Limited's "cleanup" proposal for the town of Port Hope, Ontario. At a packed hearing last week, Canada's nuclear regulator, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, listened to presentations on the proposal from its staff, AECL, private citizens, and volunteer organizations - roughly 100 presentations in all, spanning 17 hours of hearing time. AECL is asking for a licence for a low level radioactive waste site. The site will house approximately 1.5 million cubic metres of nuclear and industrial waste, collected from the community over the course of the next decade. The proposal was approved in 2007, following a six-year environmental assessment. The ensuing licensing process should have been fairly straight forward - hash out a few technical details and get shovels in the ground.

As Ontario comes close to deciding who it will pay $20 billion to build two new nuclear reactors, the Canadian bidder is already worried that it will face large cost overruns. The warnings are contained in the secret documents left by a former member of Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt's staff at CTV's Ottawa bureau recently. In the documents is a page dealing with the bid by Atomic Energy Canada Ltd. (AECL), which hopes to win the contract. On that page is the following statement: "... There is the risk there could be large cost overruns." It goes on to say that certain conditions the federal government imposed on AECL "have resulted in the AECL consortium submitting a highly-priced bid." Ontario would be likely to ask AECL to lower its price, it said.

Canada's minister of natural resources got an earful Friday from members of the country's nuclear industry who say they want the federal government to make a firm decision on the future of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. While Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt received polite applause when she attended a panel discussion at the annual meeting of the Organization of Candu Industries in Oakville, Ont., those in the industry said indecision is hurting everyone in the sector. Last spring, the government announced its plan to break up AECL and possibly sell parts of the Crown corporation, but thus far no details have been announced.

Canada's minister of natural resources got an earful Friday from members of the country's nuclear industry who say they want the federal government to make a firm decision on the future of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. While Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt received polite applause when she attended a panel discussion at the annual meeting of the Organization of Candu Industries in Oakville, Ont., those in the industry said indecision is hurting everyone in the sector. Last spring, the government announced its plan to break up AECL and possibly sell parts of the Crown corporation, but thus far no details have been announced.

Canada's minister of natural resources got an earful Friday from members of the country's nuclear industry who say they want the federal government to make a firm decision on the future of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. While Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt received polite applause when she attended a panel discussion at the annual meeting of the Organization of Candu Industries in Oakville, Ont., those in the industry said indecision is hurting everyone in the sector. Last spring, the government announced its plan to break up AECL and possibly sell parts of the Crown corporation, but thus far no details have been announced.

Nuclear plant designer is hoping that praise from China can improve its fortunes at home Nuclear reactor designer Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. is hoping that high praise from China can improve its fortunes in the West. Top AECL officials attended an event early Thursday morning in the Zhejiang province to mark the fifth anniversary of the Qinshan Phase III nuclear mega-project. It was in 2003 when the second of two Candu 6 reactors built by AECL began generating electricity from uranium fuel.

Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. will go to court today to force Precision Nuclear Inc. of Mactaquac into receivership. AECL is worried delays allegedly caused by the company could delay the Point Lepreau refurbishment. According to an affidavit filed in the Court of Queen's Bench in Saint John by Robert DeGregorio, supply chain director for the AECL, "a delay by PNI (Precision Nuclear Inc.) in the completion of its Point Lepreau obligations would result in a domino effect and cause delays in other phases of a very large and complex project."

"Selling all or part of the country's publicly-owned nuclear agency is the only way to save it, says embattled Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis. He appeared Wednesday before the Senate's finance committee, which is furiously studying a massive 900-page budget bill that includes giving the government carte blanche to restructure Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. any way it sees fit without any public consultation. Paradis - who is under investigation by Parliament's ethics czar for a potential conflict in dealings with disgraced former MP Rahim Jaffer - argued AECL and particularly the CANDU reactor division is too small to compete globally and needs a huge injection of cash to get it on a more competitive footing. CANDU hasn't sold a new reactor in over 10 years."

Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., is sitting on a stockpile of orphaned bomb-grade uranium it doesn't want to talk about. Since the Crown corporation pulled the plug in May on further development of its two troubled MAPLE reactors at its Chalk River, Ont., nuclear laboratories, officials have debated how to deal with the estimated 45 kilograms of highly enriched uranium (HEU) the United States exported to Canada for production of medical isotopes in the now-doomed reactors. Whatever the options are now for the highly enriched uranium, AECL isn't saying.

The president of Canada's nuclear safety regulator said Tuesday he was surprised by public and media interest in what he described as minor, harmless leaks of water - including radioactive water - last December at the Chalk River, Ont., nuclear reactor operated by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL). But Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) president Michael Binder told MPs the commission and AECL have re-evaluated their communications protocol in the wake of the leaks at the National Research Universal (NRU) reactor, and will establish a new proactive system of disclosure - even for events that pose no health risk, and may seem like routine variations on normal operating procedure.

Will they or won't they? And if they do, for how long? The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) will decide whether 1.2 million cubic metres of low-level radioactive and historic waste from around Port Hope will be excavated and contained in an encapsulated mound south of Highway 401. The commission is expected to decide whether to grant a licence to Atomic Energy Canada Ltd. (AECL) to proceed with the cleanup project within the next two months. There was a lot of ground and a lot of history to cover at the one-day public hearing Wednesday. Everyone was on best behaviour as the televised and webcast proceedings, complete with English/French translators, transcript stenographers and large-screen monitors for better in-house viewing got underway at the Town Recreation Centre. As the licence requester, Atomic Energy Canada Ltd. (AECL) outlined its plans for the estimated $150-million chore ahead. The CNSC, as safety overseer of the project, had its staff there, too, formal presentations and answering questions of panel members. With 96 intervenors registered -- 43 of them with oral presentations -- it was a full day and evening for all concerned.

The government said on Thursday it hoped to sell a stake in its nuclear agency to try to grow Atomic Energy of Canada Limited and boost its reactor sales, amid growing interest around the world in nuclear power. Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt told a news conference AECL could not thrive in its current form as it is too small, with a mere 10 percent of installed reactor capacity in the world currently. As well, it would have to be restructured to make it more attractive to potential investors, she said. An 18-month review of AECL's operations called for a separation of its research division and its reactor business. The reactor sales arm could then seek an alliance or partnership, or be divested, it concluded.

Almost every vision of a world with much less greenhouse gas includes nuclear power. And no wonder: Nuclear power has the lowest carbon footprint of any stable and substantial energy source. True, nuclear technology presents challenges of its own, but as the world focuses on climate change, nuclear technology becomes more and more appealing. So this might seem like a strange time for the federal government to be selling off the nuclear-reactor branch of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. But, in fact, the long-expected pasting of a "For Sale" sign onto the reactor side of AECL is just the right thing for Ottawa to be doing.

Almost every vision of a world with much less greenhouse gas includes nuclear power. And no wonder: Nuclear power has the lowest carbon footprint of any stable and substantial energy source. True, nuclear technology presents challenges of its own, but as the world focuses on climate change, nuclear technology becomes more and more appealing. So this might seem like a strange time for the federal government to be selling off the nuclear-reactor branch of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. But, in fact, the long-expected pasting of a "For Sale" sign onto the reactor side of AECL is just the right thing for Ottawa to be doing.

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited has signed a multimillion-dollar contract with Tokyo Electric Power Company, the Canadian government-owned corporation's first contract in Japan. The Canadian energy company announced the deal Tuesday, but did not reveal specific financial details of the agreement. AECL said the first pump seal was installed in early November on the boiler system of a Japanese nuclear power plant that began operations earlier this month. Atomic Energy of Canada Limited is a full-service nuclear technology company, providing services to nuclear utilities around the world.

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited has signed a multimillion-dollar contract with Tokyo Electric Power Company, the Canadian government-owned corporation's first contract in Japan. The Canadian energy company announced the deal Tuesday, but did not reveal specific financial details of the agreement. AECL said the first pump seal was installed in early November on the boiler system of a Japanese nuclear power plant that began operations earlier this month. Atomic Energy of Canada Limited is a full-service nuclear technology company, providing services to nuclear utilities around the world.

The federal government is preparing to unveil recommendations on how to restructure Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, and several foreign and domestic players in the nuclear industry are positioning themselves to make a bid for AECL's assets. But industry insiders and experts say the sale of the Crown corporation's reactor business could spell the beginning of the end for AECL's storied CANDU technology, long considered the cornerstone of Canada's nuclear industry.

The federal government is preparing to unveil recommendations on how to restructure Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, and several foreign and domestic players in the nuclear industry are positioning themselves to make a bid for AECL's assets. But industry insiders and experts say the sale of the Crown corporation's reactor business could spell the beginning of the end for AECL's storied CANDU technology, long considered the cornerstone of Canada's nuclear industry.

"The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) announces that, at the request of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), the date of the one-day public hearing to consider AECL's application for the restart of the National Research Universal (NRU) Reactor is being rescheduled. The hearing was initially scheduled to take place on June 28, 2010. Date: July 5, 2010 Place: CNSC Public Hearing Room 14th floor, 280 Slater Street Ottawa, Ontario Time: as set by the agenda published prior to the hearing date The public hearing will be webcasted live on the Internet via the CNSC Web site and archived for a period of 90 days. The public was invited to submit comments on AECL's request until June 23, 2010. This time limit is not being extended. All submissions are available to the public upon request to the Secretariat."

"The Canadian government may be hampered in trying to sell Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. because of a decision by the New Brunswick government to work with a competitor, the Globe and Mail reported. New Brunswick dropped a proposal by Atomic Energy to build a new nuclear reactor because the Canadian crown corporation had failed to make progress on a plan to build the reactor and sell the power to New England, the newspaper said. Instead, the province signed a letter of intent yesterday with Areva SA of France to build a so-called "energy park." "

"Canada's nuclear watchdog is fast-tracking a request for a hearing to consider reopening the country's aging medical isotope-producing reactor. Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. made a request Friday for a formal hearing in hopes of restarting medical isotope production at the Ontario plant by mid-summer. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has not yet scheduled a hearing, which is expected to take one day, but it said the date would be announced quickly and normal hearing rules will be tossed aside to deal with what it calls a priority case. "

MDS Inc. (TSX:MDS) is suing Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. and the federal government, seeking $1.6 billion over the cancellation of the MAPLE reactor project. The Toronto-based company, a major supplier of nuclear medicine isotopes, said Wednesday it has served AECL with notice that it is seeking arbitration, and at the same time has filed suit alleging negligence and breach of contract. The company's parallel litigation against the government alleges inducement to break a contract and interference with economic relations.

The municipality and public are likely to have continued input on plans to remove historic low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) in Port Hope, after asking the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) that its involvement be a condition of the project moving forward. "We've had an excellent cooperative consultation program and we look to that to continue," said Mayor Linda Thompson. "The comments of the CNSC staff reassured us." The commission spent Wednesday, Aug. 26 and half of Thursday, Aug. 27 listening to local concerns about Atomic Energy of Canada Limited's (AECL) application for a nuclear waste substance license to operate a long-term low-level waste management facility.

The price tag for nuclear specialists will be in the millions if one of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.'s rivals wins an Ontario reactor bid, documents show. That's because Canada's nuclear-safety watchdog lacks expertise in the type of reactors made by AECL's competitors and will have to pay big bucks to bring in specialists if one of them wins. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission estimates it will cost up to $29 million for light-water experts to review licence applications from firms that build that kind of technology. It's the first time a dollar amount has been put on light-water expertise. "It is estimated that there will be two applications with this design requiring outsourced technical expertise at an estimated cost of $29 million over five years," says a memo prepared last December. Those applications will come from French nuclear firm Areva and U.S. firm Westinghouse Electric Co., which both make light-water reactors. AECL makes Candu heavy-water reactors.

Canada said Thursday it hoped to sell a stake in its nuclear agency to try to grow Atomic Energy of Canada Limited and boost its reactor sales, amid growing interest around the world in nuclear power. Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt told a news conference AECL could not thrive in its current form as it is too small, with a mere 10 percent of installed reactor capacity in the world currently. As well, it would have to be restructured to make it more attractive to potential investors, she said. An 18-month review of AECL's operations called for a separation of its research division and its reactor business. The reactor sales arm could then seek an alliance or partnership, or be divested, it concluded.