Summary of Presentation

Transcription

1 Summary of Presentation Beginning Tuesday, Oct. 24, Pickering Nuclear hosted a series of Community Information Sessions. Ontario Power Generation (OPG) staff were on hand to share information on all aspects of our station operations including the 2018 Station Licence Renewal, and answer questions of attendees. In addition, representatives from the Durham Region Emergency Management Office, Durham Health Department, the City of Toronto Emergency Management Office and the office of Fire Marshal and Emergency Management were available to answer questions and provide information about their roles in emergency planning and preparedness. A site representative from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) attended the session to share information about the federal regulator s role. The sessions were an open house format spanning three hours with one hour of formal presentations, held in the following locations: Tuesday, Oct. 24 Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre 875 Morningside Ave Toronto, ON Wednesday, Oct. 25 Pickering Recreational Centre 1867 Valley Farm Rd Pickering, ON Thursday, Oct. 26 OPG Pickering Nuclear Information Centre 1675 Montgomery Park Rd Pickering, ON At all sessions, Randy Lockwood, Senior Vice President of Pickering Nuclear, spoke about the important role Pickering Nuclear Generating Station (PNGS) plays in Ontario's electricity power grid. It has provided reliable power for the province for decades, and will continue to play a key role during Darlington Nuclear s refurbishment. He reinforced that Pickering has been a proud and engaged member of the local community for more than 40 years, and reviewed station highlights from the past year, including the site s remarkable safety and performance record achieved through a strong commitment to a culture of safety. The Station s safety record was recognized through industry peer reviews and annual CNSC assessments. Mr. Lockwood also spoke about: The station s 2017 licence renewal application which was submitted to the CNSC in Aug. The requested 10 year licence term will cover the period between Sept. 1, 2018 and Aug. 31, The current plan to operate the Pickering station until the end of The licence term between 2024 and 2028 will allow for safe storage activities such as removal of fuel and water. Timelines and technical assessments the station will work on in the year ahead. The assessments will be available for public review prior to the 2018 licence hearings. 1

2 The station s strong safety performance rating which ranks in the industry s top quartile. The station s operational reliability, including the fact that in 2017 two of Pickering s units performed record operational runs: Unit 5 for 632 days, and Unit 1 for 622 days. The government s January announcement/directive for OPG to work with the Ministry of Energy, the Independent Electricity System Operator and the Ontario Energy Board to pursue continued operation of the Pickering Station to The plan is a direct reflection of the positive technical assessments on current and forecasted plant conditions. OPG remains committed to operating safely within the community up to the end of commercial operations followed by safe storage and decommissioning and will continue to work with community and industry partners on enhanced public communications such as community programs, public info centre and distribution of the Neighbours newsletter. Kevin Lee, a Senior Regulatory Policy Officer with the CNSC; and Heather Overton, Senior Regulatory Program Officer CNSC presented at all sessions. The CNSC provided information on nuclear industry safety highlights and the 2016 report card on the safety performance of Pickering. In a series of complex evaluation scores, Pickering achieved Fully Satisfactory status in all areas and superior scores in radiation protection and site security. They also provided updates on the CNSC licence renewal process, including anticipated topics of interest specific to the Pickering Station licence application such as Periodic Safety Review and Fitness for Service assessments. Mr. Lee, spoke in length about the CNSC s Participant Funding Program for the public hearings.. The regulatory focus is now on safety management systems at the site, the fitness for service of aging components, and preparations for ending commercial operations. Questions & Answers Q: What s the difference between the Part 1 and Part 2 Licence hearings? A: The Part 1 hearing is scheduled to take place in Ottawa on April 4 and includes OPG and the CNSC. The Part 2 hearing is scheduled to take place in the Pickering Area from June 26 to 28 and will include intervenors. Q: The station s licence application goes out to 2028, why do you need a licence for the last four years if the station will no longer be producing energy? A: The licence term between 2024 and 2028 will allow for safe storage activities such as removal of fuel and water. Q: What kind of research is OPG conducting in order to determine the station s reliability through to the 2024? A: The plant is in good condition. In fact, the past two years have been the best in terms of station performance in the areas of safety and reliability. Extensive studies have demonstrated the station s equipment and components can operate safely and reliably through to 2024, and we will continue to confirm our confidence 2

3 through ongoing investment and inspections. This information is included the station s licence application including such studies as fuel channel assessments and the periodic safety review for the entire station. Q: What will the land be used for during the Purposing Pickering phase (after decommissioning)? A: In the spring of 2015, we invited employees, subject matter experts, and the community to help us identify some ideas both for during and after station decommissioning activities. These ideas have been captured in the report and include the following key considerations: physical constraints, market demand, and compatibility with on site and off site activities. In the spring of 2016, the Repurposing Pickering Preliminary Assessment Report was shared. This report provides a short list of preferred options for further investigation. Additionally, the Repurposing Pickering study team held a series of Youth Engagement Workshops with local colleges, universities, and high schools. The workshops generated 78 ideas, which brought the project s total up to over 700 ideas captured. Q: Who is the responsible authority when determining what to do with the land, and who will ultimately look after the land once the decision is made? A: Several factors will play a role in the final decision for the preferred site, including the results of ongoing studies, cost and scheduling considerations, and the appropriate approvals. OPG will use this information to make a decision at the appropriate time. Q: Would the repurposed land be subject to City of Pickering zoning by laws? A: Yes, and OPG would continue to work closely with the City of Pickering to ensure all by law zoning requirements are met. Q: What types of the safe guards does OPG have in place to ensure the station s operations are not compromised during an ice storm? A: OPG s CANDU nuclear plants are built using multiple safety barriers and redundant, physically separated safety systems to ensure public health and safety even in severe circumstances like hurricanes, earthquakes and server weather. Q: What did OPG learn from the 2013 ice storm? And were these lesson s learned put into place? All of our programs including maintenance and emergency programing includes a continual improvement process which provides a basis for critical assessment and corrective actions. The process used to assess our emergency program is also used to extract lessons learned from exercises and disaster operations. Q: It s my understanding that the energy produced in Pickering is not needed to support the supply and demand and in fact most of the power is exported to the United States? A: It s the role of the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) to determine a long term energy plan that meets the needs of Ontario s electricity requirements. What I can tell you is Pickering provides cost effective, baseload energy and capacity without greenhouse gas emissions. This output and capacity will be particularly 3

4 valuable while the Darlington and Bruce nuclear units begin outages for refurbishment. This emission free supply and peak meeting capacity will be particularly needed over the period. Q: How is the spent fuel managed at the Pickering site? A: Used fuel bundles are stored in fuel bays for up to 10 years to be cooled and become less radioactive. After 10 years, used fuel is transferred from the fuel bays into robust concrete and steel containers and stored in the Waste Management Facility on the station site. The containers are called Dry Storage Containers (DSCs) and are engineered to last at least 50 years and will provide safe, interim storage until a long term management program is in place. Q: What s the long term solution for all the spent fuel and who is the responsible authority? A: The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is mandated by the Canadian Government s Nuclear Fuel Waste Act for the long term management of used nuclear fuel. The used fuel would be contained by engineered barriers and the surrounding geology. It would also be constantly monitored and would remain retrievable indefinitely, if necessary. Q: Why doesn t Ontario import energy from Quebec? A: While Quebec has some surplus generation, it experiences capacity shortfalls in the winter. Quebec could not supply the large amounts of capacity and energy on a continual basis provided by the Pickering station without building new, high capital cost hydro generating capacity. If electricity were to be imported from Quebec, the cost would be considerably higher as there would be a need for new transmission lines. There would also be environmental issues as neighbouring southern states would be forced to produce more gas and oil. Three main issues of importing electricity from Quebec: Power generation does not yet exist Increase cost of electricity Need for new transmissions lines Environmental aspects Q: What will the economic impacts be on the City of Pickering once the station retires? A: A lot of work is underway in terms of the station s end of commercial operations. Focus areas include preparing the physical station for end of commercial operations and determining OPG wide impacts for staffing plan and work processes. We understand this will have an impact on the community. in 2015 OPG worked closely with the City of Pickering planning department on a report titled Economic and Financial Impact of the Retirement of Pickering Nuclear Generating Station. Key findings from the report suggest the retirement of PNGS is not expected to significantly impact Pickering s residents and local businesses. This is largely because the economy and labour market of the City of Pickering is relatively diversified and does not rely exclusively on the station as a source of employment. Q: Why have Units 2 & 3 been placed in safe storage at Pickering Nuclear? 4

5 A: The first four Pickering Nuclear reactors went into service in 1971 and continued to operate safely. In 1997, these reactors were placed in voluntary lay up as part of what was then Ontario Hydro's nuclear improvement program. In September 2003, Unit 4 was returned to commercial operation, as was Unit 1 in November Units 2 and 3 remain in a safe shutdown state. Extensive research proved it was more feasible to operate Units 1 & 4 and 5 to 8. Q: What is the overall percentage of electricity produced from nuclear industry? A: Nuclear power meets more than 50 per cent of Ontario's electricity needs. It has two major benefits: low operating costs; and, virtually none of the emissions that lead to smog, acid rain or global warming. These benefits make nuclear a very attractive option for meeting the province's electricity needs well into the future. The three contributing nuclear stations within the province include: Darlington Nuclear, Pickering Nuclear and Bruce Power. Q: What is the future of the nuclear industry? A: Refer to LTEP for the long term plan, predictions on demand and the various types of energy providers. Once Pickering closes, our baseload will continue to come from Darlington, Bruce and Hydroelectric stations. OPG owns land at the Darlington site that could possibly be used for a new build, should the need arise in the future. Q: In preparation of submitting the relicensing application, what measures have been taken to ensure Pickering can safely operate to 2024? A: The information provided through the licence application demonstrates the station meets all of the applicable requirements of the Nuclear Safety and Control Act and the associated regulations. In addition, the station is completing a Periodic Safety Review (a comprehensive safety review of all safety aspects) to further support the licence renewal. The Pickering station continues to demonstrate a strong safety performance rating that is in the industry s top quartile. Q: Once Pickering ceases commercial operations, what is OPG s plan to replace the 14 per cent electricity Pickering is currently providing to the province? A: With the Darlington Refurbishment underway, the Darlington station will continue to provide approx. 20 per cent of the province s power. As well as further development of new hydroelectric stations across the province. OPG working closely with Frist Nations in the Sarnia area regarding possible development of a solar plant. Q: Why did Pickering have an increase in production this year? A: Operational reliability has improved significantly, with two of Pickering s units having record operational runs. As well, we ve had maintenance outages this year that have been completed ahead of schedule. Q: Is there a possibility of Pickering operating past 2024? A: No 5