Public invited to open house on decommissioning of NPD reactor

The public is invited to one of two open houses for the Nuclear Power Demonstration (NPD) closure project. Environmental Analyst for the NPD project, Juliet Luiz, says you can go inside the non-nuclear area of the facility and watch the chimney swifts fly around the ventilation stack before they enter for the night. She adds over the next couple of years, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories will be decommissioning the site, which includes sealing the existing facility under-ground in concrete.

 

Luiz says they are currently preparing the environmental impact statement to submit to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and approval is expected within a few years. She adds a main part of the project is ensuring the safety of members of the public and the environment.  The 20 MW Nuclear Power Demonstration (NPD) reactor was Canada’s first nuclear power reactor to supply electricity to Ontario’s electrical distribution grid.  It began operation in 1962 and for 25 years served as an important training facility for future reactor engineers and operators.  The open house viewing dates are Thursday (August 1st) and again next week on Thursday, August 8th from 6pm to 8pm. This is an opportunity for residents to meet with the experts working on the project and have questions answered directly. Registration is required at http://www.cnl.ca/NPD-OH