Transporting spent nuclear fuel is not a disaster waiting to happen, says a spokesman for the Nuclear Waste Management Organization.
On Thursday Mike Krizanc showed regional mayors and councillors why.
Billed the Fort Knox of nuclear waste management, Krizanc said a specialized transportation carrier, which can house 192 spent fuel cells, has been built with every precaution in mind, successfully tested submerged in 200 metres of water, dropped from a height of 11 metres and peppered with searing hot flames.
Fully loaded the container, built with 30-centimetre thick walls complete with an impact limiter and secured with 32 15-pound bolts, weighs almost 35 tonnes.
There’s almost no danger, Krizanc said.
“It’s a very robust container. We are confident we can move used nuclear fuel and if there was to be an accident that there would be no release of radiation. I can tell you there have been 20,000 shipments of used fuel around the world by rail, road and ship over the last 40 years and there has never been an accident involving the release of radiation.”
Nothing has been taken for granted, he added.
The truck is tracked by satellite, the tires are monitored in the cab and the drivers chosen are the most experienced in the business, some with a 40-year proven track record.
“The whole transportation system for used nuclear fuel is built around safety,” Krizanc said. “Safety is the first consideration in everything we do. Of course it’s a very highly regulated activity. But the real centre of the safety is the transportation container itself.”
To date, 21 communities in Ontario and Saskatchewan have expressed at least a fleeting interest in housing the material, though a decision isn’t expect until decade’s end at the earliest. Among the suitors are Northern Ontario’s Ignace and Schreiber.
Schreiber Mayor Don McArthur had his first glimpse at the containment system, giving it a hearty thumbs up.
“Certainly we’ve had a lot of information about these containers, the different ones they are in. We had an opportunity to visit where they are temporarily stored now in the concrete containers. To actually see one now, the transportation unit, is very impressive,” McArthur said.
“Obviously it’s an awful lot of stainless steel, in sheer weight and magnitude ... You can see why it’s as resilient as it is.”
McArthur said his community will continue to explore the possibility of housing nuclear material down the road.
