CNSC Announces Task Force to Examine Lessons Learned From the Japan Earthquake

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - April 20, 2011) - As reported by Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) staff at the March 30, 2011 Commission meeting, the CNSC announces the establishment of an operational task force to evaluate the operational, technical and regulatory implications of the March 11, 2011 nuclear event in Japan in relation to Canadian nuclear power plants.

Chaired by the Director-General of Nuclear Power Plant Regulation, Dr. Greg Rzentkowski, the task force is comprised of senior CNSC subject matter experts in reactor design, safety assessment, and emergency preparedness and response.

The task force members will review licensees responses to the CNSC's request for information under subsection 12(2) of the General Nuclear Safety and Control Regulation to re-examine the safety cases of their respective nuclear facilities, the underlying defence-in-depth against external hazards, severe accident scenarios and emergency preparedness procedures and guidelines.

The task force will recommend short- and long-term measures to address any significant gaps at Canadian nuclear power plants, and whether any design modifications are needed. It will determine priorities for the implementation of corrective actions based on the lessons learned and the need, if any, for further examination.

Finally, the task force will recommend, as appropriate, potential changes to CNSC regulatory requirements, inspection programs and policies for existing CANDU and potential new nuclear power plants.

The CNSC task force will present this information to the Commission in a public forum at a date to be determined.