The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) announced last week that they have decided to renew for a five-year period the operating license issued to Hydro-Québec for its Gentilly-2 nuclear generating station, and to merge it with its waste management facility operating license. The merged license will be valid from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2016, and provides for the refurbishment of the nuclear generating station, if Hydro-Québec decides to proceed with the refurbishment project during this period.
The Commission, in making its decision, considered information presented at a public hearing on December 10, 2010, in Ottawa, Ontario, and on April 13 and 14, 2011, in Bécancour, Quebec. During the public hearing, the Commission received and considered submissions from Hydro-Québec and 64 interveners, as well as CNSC staff recommendations.
The Commission deems that the licensee meets the requirements of section 24 of the Nuclear Safety and Control Act. The Commission concludes that Hydro-Québec is qualified to carry out the activities that will be permitted under the renewed and merged license and that it will, as part of these activities, make adequate provisions for the health and safety of persons, the protection of the environment and the maintenance of national security and measures required to implement international obligations to which Canada has agreed.
With this decision, the Commission requests that Hydro-Québec carry out a planned shutdown of the reactor before December 31, 2011, and obtain approval from the Commission or a person authorized by the Commission, before restarting the reactor after the shutdown. The Commission also requests that Hydro-Québec place the reactor in a shutdown state for repair or a guaranteed shutdown state no later than December 31, 2012, and obtain approval from the Commission before reloading fuel in the reactor after the refurbishment.