Canada's nuclear regulator and a federal court are at odds over the sufficiency of an environmental review related to a stalled proposal to build two new reactors at the Darlington plant in Ontario.
In May, a court judgment ruled in favor of Greenpeace and other environmental groups by sending the review back to a government panel for further consideration. The court ruled that the environmental review didn't properly assess potential hazardous emissions, severe accidents or spent nuclear fuel management. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission disagreed, announcing an appeal of the ruling on Friday based on its contention that the court misinterpreted Canada's environmental legislation and the assessment of the panel considering the project.
The CNSC had issued a 10-year site preparation license for the reactors in 2012. Ontario Power Generation initially envisioned two new units at the site and received detailed plans from SNC-Lavalin/Candu and Westinghouse last year. Since then, the Canadian government has delayed construction indefinitely, citing a surplus of power generation in the region, although officials indicated the project might be reconsidered in the future.