Nuclear power in Canada

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The importance of nuclear energy in Canada varies greatly from one province to another. From a national perspective, around 60% of electricity in 2007 was generated with hydropower , 20% in fossil power plants and 14% in nuclear power plants. The use of nuclear energy is almost exclusively limited to the province of Ontario , where 50% of the electricity was generated in 15 nuclear power reactors in 2007, and another reactor is operated in New Brunswick (23% of electricity generation).

Development of an independent nuclear industry

Canada / Ontario built its own nuclear industry after World War II and developed its own reactor design ( CANDU reactor ), which took into account the country's existing industrial possibilities. After 1945, due to a lack of a military nuclear program, Canada had neither uranium enrichment plants nor heavy industry that could manufacture large pressure vessels. The CANDU reactor developed is therefore operated with unenriched natural uranium and uses a large number of pressure tubes instead of a large pressure vessel. Because of the tendency to absorb neutrons, no (light) water can be used as a moderator; instead, heavy water must be used. The heavy water is used both to cool the fuel elements and in a separate, almost pressureless tank, the Calandria, as a moderator. With only CANDU reactors operating in Canada, the profitability of Canadian nuclear power plant operators is closely tied to reactor design.

From an economic point of view, the use of heavy water, natural uranium and pressure tubes results in three disadvantages: On the one hand, the fuel assemblies have to be arranged at greater intervals than with light water pressure reactors; this lowers the power density in the core and, conversely, leads to larger reactor core dimensions and thus also higher construction costs for the building structure with the same power. The second aspect is the cost of providing heavy water for the moderator tank and the primary circuit. Thirdly, a large number of individual pressure tubes must be monitored during operation and checked during inspections. The pressure tubes and the tubes of the moderator tank are exposed to very strong neutron bombardment and high temperatures due to their position between the fuel elements. This makes it necessary to replace the pressure tubes in the course of a power plant's life. During the general overhaul of the reactor core, no electricity can be produced and high investments are necessary during the operating time of the power plant.

Nuclear research in Canada began in 1940. With the ZEEP, a first experimental reactor went into operation in the Chalk River Laboratories in 1945 , the second NRX reactor was made available for scientific purposes in 1947.

Panoramic view of the Pickering nuclear power plant

The commercial use of nuclear energy in Canada was largely driven by the regional energy supplier Ontario Hydro - as part of an industrial policy-motivated contract award, mainly companies from Ontario were involved in the development and construction of reactors.

List of nuclear reactors in Canada

List of nuclear power plants in Canada (source: IAEA, as of February 2019)
Surname block
 Reactor type model status Net
power
in MW
 Gross
power
in MW
 start of building First network
synchronization 		Commercial
operation
(planned)
 Switching off
processing
(planned)
 Feed-
in in TWh
Bruce 1 PHWR CANDU 791 In operation 760 830 1971-06-01 06/01/1971 1977-01-14 01/14/1977 1977-09-01 09/01/1977 - 127.00
2 PHWR CANDU 791 In operation 760 830 1970-12-01 December 01, 1970 1976-09-04 09/04/1976 1977-09-01 09/01/1977 - 110.96
3 PHWR CANDU 750A In operation 750 830 1972-07-01 07/01/1972 1977-12-12 12/12/1977 1978-02-01 02/01/1978 - 165.60
4th PHWR CANDU 750A In operation 750 830 1972-09-01 09/01/1972 1978-12-21 December 21, 1978 1979-01-18 January 18, 1979 - 161.99
5 PHWR CANDU 750B In operation 817 872 1978-06-01 06/01/1978 1984-12-02 12/02/1984 1985-03-01 03/01/1985 - 207.09
6th PHWR CANDU 750B In operation 817 891 1978-01-01 01/01/1978 1984-06-26 06/26/1984 1984-09-14 09/14/1984 - 197.77
7th PHWR CANDU 750B In operation 817 872 1979-05-01 05/01/1979 1986-02-22 02/22/1986 1986-04-10 04/10/1986 - 200.54
8th PHWR CANDU 750B In operation 817 872 1979-08-01 08/01/1979 1987-03-09 03/09/1987 1987-05-22 05/22/1987 - 182.18
Darlington 1 PHWR CANDU 850 In operation 878 934 1982-04-01 04/01/1982 1990-12-19 December 19, 1990 1992-11-14 11/14/1992 - 166.84
2 PHWR CANDU 850 In operation 878 934 1981-09-01 09/01/1981 1990-01-15 January 15, 1990 1990-10-09 10/09/1990 - 161.33
3 PHWR CANDU 850 In operation 878 934 1984-09-01 09/01/1984 1992-12-07 12/07/1992 1993-02-14 02/14/1993 - 165.97
4th PHWR CANDU 850 In operation 878 934 1985-07-01 07/01/1985 1993-04-17 04/17/1993 1993-06-14 06/14/1993 - 163.28
Douglas Point 1 PHWR CANDU 200 Shut down 206 218 1960-02-01 02/01/1960 1967-01-07 07/01/1967 1968-09-26 09/26/1968 1984-05-04 05/04/1984 15.63
Gentilly 1 HWLWR HW BLWR 250 Shut down 250 266 1966-09-01 09/01/1966 1971-04-05 04/05/1971 1972-05-01 05/01/1972 1977-07-01 07/01/1977 0.84
2 PHWR CANDU 6 Shut down 635 675 1974-04-01 04/01/1974 1982-12-04 December 04, 1982 1983-10-01 10/01/1983 2012-12-28 12/28/2012 124.22
Pickering 1 PHWR CANDU 500A In operation 515 542 1966-06-01 06/01/1966 1971-04-04 04/04/1971 1971-07-29 07/29/1971 (2022) 113.14
2 PHWR CANDU 500A Shut down 515 542 1966-09-01 09/01/1966 1971-10-06 10/06/1971 1971-12-30 12/30/1971 2007-05-28 05/28/2007 71.39
3 PHWR CANDU 500A Shut down 515 542 1967-12-01 December 01, 1967 1972-05-03 05/03/1972 1972-06-01 06/01/1972 2008-10-31 10/31/2008 80.00
4th PHWR CANDU 500A In operation 515 542 1968-05-01 05/01/1968 1973-05-21 May 21, 1973 1973-06-17 06/17/1973 (2022) 117.58
5 PHWR CANDU 500B In operation 516 540 1974-11-01 11/01/1974 1982-12-19 December 19, 1982 1983-05-10 05/10/1983 (2024) 115.79
6th PHWR CANDU 500B In operation 516 540 1975-10-01 10/01/1975 1983-11-08 11/08/1983 1984-02-01 02/01/1984 (2024) 120.87
7th PHWR CANDU 500B In operation 516 540 1976-03-01 03/01/1976 1984-11-17 11/17/1984 1985-01-01 01/01/1985 (2024) 115.80
8th PHWR CANDU 500B In operation 516 540 1976-09-01 09/01/1976 1986-01-21 01/21/1986 1986-02-28 02/28/1986 (2024) 108.88
Point Lepreau 1 PHWR CANDU 6 In operation 660 705 1975-05-01 05/01/1975 1982-09-11 09/11/1982 1983-02-01 02/01/1983 - 138.17
Rolphton 1 PHWR CANDU Shut down 22nd 25th 1958-01-01 01/01/1958 1962-06-04 06/04/1962 1962-10-01 10/01/1962 1987-08-01 08/01/1987 3.24

Reactor types

see: CANDU reactor

Economic situation

Bruce  A nuclear power plant

The electricity production costs of nuclear power plants are mainly determined by construction costs and their financing costs and, on the other hand, the amount of electricity generated by the power plant, i.e. the operational reliability. In the case of the CANDU reactors used in Canada, there are also the costs for at least one general overhaul of the reactor core during its lifetime. In Ontario there were problems on the cost and income side. The nuclear power plants in Ontario were never completed within the given time and budget, the actual new construction costs averaged 250% of the planned costs. Delayed commissioning of individual reactors also increased financing costs, which can amount to over a third of the loan amount to be repaid during operation.

Due to technical problems, the amount of electricity generated also fell short of expectations. In 1993, the Bruce reactors were throttled down to 60% of their nominal capacity due to possible failure to control a loss of coolant accident. As a result of retrofitting, this limit was later increased to 90%. Several reactors were also decommissioned. After a first reactor block shutdown due to material problems in Bruce A in 1995, Ontario Hydro had to temporarily shut down the four reactors in Pickering A at the end of 1997 due to failure to retrofit the emergency shutdown system and insufficient maintenance and repair efforts. For economic reasons, the three remaining reactors of the Bruce A nuclear power plant were also put to a standstill for a few years, but then started up again.

In 1998, the prime cost of electricity from Ontario Hydro's nuclear power plants was 7.7 Canadian cents / kWh above the average sales price of 6.4 Canadian cents / kWh. The losses from the operation of NPPs were offset by hydropower plants (1.1 Canadian cents / kWh) and fossil power plants (4.3 Canadian cents / kWh) - as a result, it was not possible to pay off the credit for the power plant construction. As a result, Ontario Hydro was split into five separate companies in 1999, and the accumulated debt of 19.4 billion Canadian dollars (more than 75% of it from nuclear power plant construction and operation) was outsourced to the state-owned Ontario Electricity Financial Corporation. These should be repaid by 2018 through a general consumption tax on electrical energy as well as the income from the other parts of the former Ontario Hydro - although the forecast for the repayment date has been shifted steadily into the future over the past 10 years.

Qinshan -III nuclear power plant , units III-1 and III-2

After the split-up of Ontario Hydro, four idle reactors were modernized and put back into operation; work on two reactors is still ongoing. Reactors outside of Ontario also had to be overhauled. All renovations again exceeded the planned time and budget. Incidentally, one cannot infer the profitability of the CANDU reactor from the financial problems of the largest Canadian nuclear power plant operator Ontario Hydro or its successor companies. The CANDU-6 reactor type, which was not built in Ontario, was exported abroad, and its examples show a high level of reliability, at least during their mostly relatively young operating life.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ [1] Statistics Canada - 2007 - Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution - Catalog no. 57-202-X
  2. ↑ a b Archived copy ( memento of the original from April 22, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 72 kB) Construction costs for the Darlington nuclear power plant @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.cleanairalliance.org
  3. ↑ [2] Nuclearfaq.ca - CANDU Nuclear Power Technologie - Frequently Asked Questions - How is core refurbishment part of the CANDU life management?
  4. ↑ a b [3] CBC News - Canada - Point Lepreau overruns to cost $ 1.6B
  5. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from February 25, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. History of the Candu reactor @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.candu.org
  6. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from January 27, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Bryne Purchase - CANDU or no CANDU? - The future of nuclear power in Ontario @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.queensu.ca
  7. ↑ Canada. IAEA , accessed February 17, 2019 .
  8. ↑ https://globalnews.ca/news/2445341/opg-to-announce-12-8-billion-refurbishment-of-darlington-nuclear-reactors/
  9. ↑ a b Archived copy ( memento of the original from July 27, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 421 kB) Ontario Clear Air Alliance Reseurach - Ontario's Stranded Nuclear Debt: A Cautionary Tale @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.cleanairalliance.org
  10. ↑ a b Archived copy ( memento of the original from July 27, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 1.4 MB). Ontario Clear Air Alliance Research Inc.- The Darlington Re-Build Consumer Protection Plan - Appendix A. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.cleanairalliance.org
  11. ↑ [4] (PDF; 2.5 MB) Canadian National Report for the Convention on Nuclear Safety - Minister of Public Works and Government Services - Canada 1998 - Catalog number CC2-0690E
  12. ↑ [5] PowerMag - Bruce A Proves There Are Second Acts in Nuclear Power
  13. ↑ [6] IAEA - Power Reactor Information System - operating results WOLSONG-1
  14. ↑ [7] IAEA - Power Reactor Information System - operating results WOLSONG-2
  15. ↑ [8] IAEA - Power Reactor Information System - operating results WOLSONG-3
  16. ↑ [9] IAEA - Power Reactor Information System - operating results WOLSONG-4
  17. ↑ [10] IAEA - Power Reactor Information System - operating results CERNAVODA-1
  18. ↑ [11] IAEA - Power Reactor Information System - operating results CERNAVODA-2
  19. ↑ [12] IAEA - Power Reactor Information System - Operating Results QINSHAN 3-1
  20. ↑ [13] IAEA - Power Reactor Information System - Operating Results QINSHAN 3-2
  21. ↑ [14] IAEA - Power Reactor Information System - operating results EMBALSE