…The Canadian Nuclear Workers’ Council (CNWC) is an organization of unions representing workers in various areas of the Canadian nuclear industry, including electric utilities, uranium mining and processing, radioisotope production and nuclear research. The CNWC believes that Nuclear Power, as a reliable and non-GHG emitting source of electricity, deserves special attention from policy makers to [...]
. . .The nuclear fuel cycle is the term used to describe the entire progress of nuclear fuel, from uranium as it is mined from the ground, refining and fabrication of uranium into pellets for fuel bundles, through the year or so each bundle spends producing energy in a reactor, to eventual disposal. . .
. . .One of the major, but lesser known, side benefits Canadians and the world receive from the Canadian nuclear energy program has been in the production of radioisotopes for use in the field of nuclear medicine and in industry.
Elements are identified by their atomic structure; i.e. the number of protons and neutrons in their [...]
. . .After six years out of the reactor, the radioactivity and heat in used fuel bundles have decreased sufficiently to where they can be taken to dry storage. Dry storage is not new. It has been in use in Canada for over 45 years and a dry storage facility has been operated safely and [...]
. . .In its simplest terms, radiation is energy from atoms, travelling through space as waves or particles. It occurs throughout nature. Science has allowed humanity to understand radiation and to use it safely in
hospitals, industries, and even in our homes. It is also used to generate electricity. . .
. . .Simply put, a nuclear reactor is a device, which produces heat. In a nuclear power station, the reactor performs the same work as a boiler in a coal, gas or oil-fired station. Heat is required to turn water into steam. This steam spins large turbines, which in turn drive the generators that produce [...]
. . .Canada has played a pioneering role in the mining of uranium and development of nuclear energy technology. Canada’s Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB), created in 1946, was one of the first nuclear regulatory agencies in the world. The AECB was established under the Atomic Energy Control Act, with the declaration that nuclear [...]
. . . In addition, Canada’s economy has derived substantial benefits including the creation of thousands of high-skill, high paying jobs, the generation of billions of dollars in export and tax revenues, and resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in high tech focused research and development at Canadian universities and laboratories. . .
No Canadian nuclear worker or member of the public has been harmed by radiation from a nuclear power plant — ever. This impressive track record is because Canada’s nuclear industry is among the most highly regulated and safety-conscious in the world.
A “safety in depth” philosophy applies to all aspects of the nuclear industry from uranium [...]
. . .In the 25-30 years nuclear energy has been producing electricity throughout the world, it has had an overwhelmingly beneficial effect on our environment. . .