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nuclear Sunset: Economic Costs of the Canadian Nuclear lndustn~ http://eww.ccm.org/sunse[l.htm] ':'oral 4 . 0 38 C. 0 39.5 27?. , 275.5 288. 9 Source: Cameco Corporation Human Resources, March 16, 1995. Note: These figures are for all on-site staff, and do not include Head Office staff. 4. The AECL Isotope Business AECL has experienced a major crisis in its radioisotope business that has revolved around its plans to build a new isotope production reactor known as the MAPLE-X10 (Multipurpose Applied Physics Lattice Experimental - 10 MW). The MAPLE-X10 was intended to take over the main work of isotope production from the aging NRU reactor, allowing the NRU to play aback-up and research role for the few remaining years of its life. The NRU (National Research Universal) is a heavy water moderated and cooled 13~ MWt reactor which first began operation in 1957. Following atwo-year review and assessment of the future of the NRU initiated in ] 989, AECL Research eventually decided in 1991 that a replacement reactor would be built, and that operation of the NRU would he extended to about the year 2000. [131] Even this short-term lifetime extension for operation of the NRU required a refurbishment that was expected to take place in the 199/96 fiscal year at a cost of about $30 million. The refurbishment plan included upgrading containment. emergency core cooling and emergency water and power supplies; adding a second shutdown system; and adding a qualified reactor control room capable of withstanding earthquakes and other external events. [132] Atomic Energy Control Board staff reviewed the refurbishment proposal and "were not satisfied that AECL had demonstrated that these [upgrades] were the most beneficial changes". [133] However, the NRU had a serious accident on January 12, 1991. A break in a weld on the cooling system resulted in l 8,000 litres of tritium-contaminated heavy water leaking into the reactor building. Considerable amounts of tritium were vented to air over the following two weeks, resulting in tritium levels in snow at least 100 times above background in an area of a fev~ hundred square kilometres, mostly on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River. [134] The NRU remained shut do~~~tt for repairs until mid-December, necessitating the use of the older, and more polluting NRX (National Research Experimental) reactor for isotope production. If an}~hing had gone wrong with the NRX reactor, there would not have been any back-up for radioisotope sales. In fact, the. NRX reactor was outdated; and had been kept operating despite safety of 76 04/OR/97 2220.14