Today, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) announced its decision to renew the nuclear fuel facility licence held by BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Inc. (BWXT) in Toronto and Peterborough. By way of a majority decision, the Commission also decided to authorize the commercial production of fuel pellets at BWXT's Peterborough facility, with one member dissenting on this issue. BWXT will be allowed to produce fuel pellets at only one of its facilities at any time. Since pellet production is new to the Peterborough facility, BWXT will be required to submit a final commissioning report to show its compliance with safety requirements for the Commission's acceptance before it can proceed with pellet production there.
In making its decision, the Commission considered submissions from BWXT and 247 intervenors, as well as CNSC staff recommendations. The Commission is renewing BWXT's licence as two separate licences, one for each facility in Toronto and Peterborough. The Commission decided that individual licences will best meet the needs of the host communities and the CNSC's regulatory expectations - benefits that outweigh any regulatory burden to BWXT.
After submitting the information on the soil resampling done in Peterborough in July 2020, CSNC staff informed the Commission that it had revised calculations for hypothetical beryllium emissions from BWXT's Peterborough facility. After reviewing these revised calculations, the Commission concluded that the health of people and the environment around the BWXT facility in Peterborough remain protected.
