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The Lucknow Sentinel, 2014-07-23, Page 1616 Lucknow Sentinel • Wednesday, July 23, 2014 aire nwmo nwmo NUCLEAR WASTE MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION SOCIETE DE GESTION DES DECHETS NUCLEAIRES Transportation As Canada's used fuel inventory is currently stored at seven nuclear sites across four provinces, transportation of the nuclear material to a centralized facility is required. Canadian and international experience demonstrate that used fuel can be transported safely. The NWMO is committed to planning and operating a safe and secure transportation system that incorporates the lessons learned from over 20,000 shipments worldwide over 50 years. The NWMO understands that transportation is of great interest to the public. As the site selection process advances, the NWMO will identify preferred transportation modes and potential routes. The NWMO will need to demonstrate to regulatory authorities and citizens the safety and security of a transportation system before the shipments of used nuclear fuel can begin. Where is Canada's used nuclear fuel currently stored? A. Canada's used nuclear fuel is currently stored at seven nuclear sites across four provinces; transportation of the nuclear material to a centralized facility is a necessary component of Adaptive Phased Management (APM). A key component of APM is the design and implementation of an integrated transportation plan for the safe, secure delivery of used fuel from current, interim storage locations to Canada's long-term facility. Approximately 90% of Canada's used nuclear fuel is located in Ontario, and about 5% each in New Brunswick and Quebec. When will the transportation of used fuel to the deep geological repository begin? A. Transportation could begin as early as 2035 after a licence to operate is issued by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). Based on current projections, a total of 4.6 million used fuel bundles will be shipped to the repository over a 35- to 40 -year period. Fuel bundles are about the size of a fireplace log and weigh approximately 24 kilograms each. How is the transportation of used nuclear fuel regulated? A. In Canada, a comprehensive regulatory framework governs the transportation of radioactive materials. Safe and secure movement of used fuel is highly regulated and conducted in accordance with the CNSC and Transport Canada regulations. The CNSC regulates the transport of nuclear material through the Packaging and Transport of Nuclear Substances Regulations. These include a series of safety -based regulatory requirements such as package design requirements, operational controls during transport, loading and unloading of the package, and inspection and maintenance requirements. The CNSC certifies the transport package design and issues a licence to transport in accordance with these regulations. A CNSC fact sheet on regulating packaging and transport of nuclear substances is available at www.cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca/eng/resources/fact-sheets. Transport Canada establishes requirements for training, emergency planning, labelling, safe handling and documentation, and carries out compliance inspections. Transport Canada's regulations for the transportation of dangerous goods have been adopted at the provincial and territorial levels through agreements. The transportation of used fuel will have to meet the regulatory requirements. This includes planning, obtaining a licence, documenting, tracking all shipments, and ensuring that workers and first responders are adequately trained. Q_ How robust are the transportation containers? A. Packages designed to transport used nuclear fuel are based on international standards and Canadian regulations. The containers are extremely robust and are designed and tested to ensure they will protect the public during normal operations, as well as during accident conditions. The current package is made of a solid stainless steel box with walls nearly 30 centimetres thick and a lid attached by 32 bolts. It has been designed to meet a series of challenging performance requirements – specified in the CNSC transportation regulations – and based on international standards to demonstrate the ability to withstand severe impact, fire and immersion in water. The package can contain 192 used fuel bundles, weighs almost 35 tonnes when loaded and can be carried by all modes of transport. The CNSC is responsible for reviewing the design of the package and ensuring it passes all tests before issuing a certificate of approval. Ulf Stahmer is a licensed Professional Engineer who began his career designing brake systems for freight railcars. For the past 14 years, Mr. Stahmer has held senior engineering positions in Radioactive Waste Transportation Design for Ontario Power Generation and the NVVMO. He has authored several papers presented at international conferences and is a member of the Canadian Advisory Committee for the Transportation of Radioactive Material. Mr. Stahmer has seven patents. To view a short video on transportation, please visit: www.nwmo.ea/videosf/video:36/transportation—english "Ask the NVVIVIO" is an advertising feature published regularly in this and other community newspapers to respond to readers' questions about Canada's plan for managing used nuclear fuel over the long term and its implementation. The Nuclear Waste Management Organization welcomes your questions. Please forward your questions to askthenwmoOnwmo.ca. www.nwmo.ca SOUTH BRUCE OPP RECEIVES A+ RATING FROM COMMUNITY Residents of municipalities in the South Bruce Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) detachment area were asked to rate their police service in a survey con- ducted by R.A. Malatest &Associ- ates Limited between January 14,2014 andMarch 31,2014. An analy- sis of the data showed the South Bruce OPP received an overall satisfaction rating of 92.6%. Inspector Scott Smith, Detach- ment Commander, South Bruce OPP states "A safe com- munity is a reflec- tion of the level of engagement of its citizenry. A com- munity that is will- ing to work with the police and other partners to address issues of social disorder will have higher satis- faction rates and a strong sense of security. The OPP is constantly look- ing at ways to improve efficiency and service deliv- ery to which end I welcome construc- tive criticism. I hope that the intro- duction of Citizen Self Reporting online will help people to report crime more easily:' Survey high- lights: Feel safe or very safe in my community - 98.9% satisfied. Vis- ibility of OPP on the highways - 93% satisfied. Ability to solve local issues - 92.2% satisfied. Vis- ibility of OPP in the community - 90.1% satisfied. Enforcement of aggressive driving - 87.7% satisfied. Enforcement of impaired driving - 87.7 % satisfied.