AECL's Chalk River reactor generates much of the world's supply of medical isotopes.  It's down and the world is scrambling.  The lead time for reactors is very long so a short term solution is nowhere on the horizon. 

News Canada

Chalk River reactor likely down for some time

 

By PETER ZIMONJIC, NATIONAL BUREAU

 

While the government reassures Canadians it's enacting plans to cope with

the isotope shortage, an official at Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. says

predictions the Chalk River reactor will be running in a month are

"optimistic."

 

AECL, which runs the NRU reactor, said Monday it will take "more than one

month" to repair and restart the isotope-producing reactor. Yesterday, an

AECL communications director said it could take much longer.

 

"It's an optimistic schedule that we can complete everything in that

timeframe, but until we have actually completed all of the inspections, and

done the analysis, we won't know for sure," said Dale Coffin.

 

The reactor went down Sunday when a power failure near Chalk River triggered

a security shutdown. Shortly afterwards, engineers discovered the reactor

was leaking heavy water.

 

GLOBAL SHORTAGE

 

Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt said she contacted her international

counterparts yesterday requesting an urgent meeting of the Global Task Force

on Medical Isotopes to find a solution to the looming global shortage.

 

In the meantime, cancer and heart patients in Canada and the U.S. will face

a dwindling supply of isotopes that are crucial to scans and treatments.

 

"There are a number of things on the horizon; unfortunately the horizon is a

fairly long way away," said Doug Abrams, president of the Canadian Society

of Nuclear Medicine.

 

One likely alternative would be to dump $50 million US into the University

of Missouri to modify its research reactor to meet U.S. demand. Today,

representatives from the university will appear before the U.S. nuclear

regulator to ask for permission to proceed with the project should the

university get the necessary funding.

Other projects to provide an alternative to the 51-year-old NRU reactor would take five to 10 years to complete.

This is a prime example of what happens when PAS-55 or any other responsible "Asset Management" system is not in place.  The government controls funding for AECL and the government has no interest in sustaining existing assets.  There are far more votes in building new stuff that will eventually crumble to dust like AECL's reactor.  Maintenance and other sustaining activities are not sexy to a politician so they get no funding.  Replacement or life extension activities are also not so "sexy".  These aspects of life cycle management of those critical assets were missing and now the whole world is scrambling for medical isotopes.  Canada looks pretty shameful here - and we should.  We know better but we choose to act like with short term thinking and let a bunch of idiotic politically motivated bureaucrats call the shots for all the wrong reasons..

For AECL and Canada's contribution of medical isotopes to the world, the whole herd of horses has already bolted from the stable.   It's too late the close the barn door.  Another opportunity to be a global leader has been lost here in Canada.

AECL has become Canada's bad example that can be used as an instructional tool on what not to do. 

The know how to avoid this exists.  There's even a specification on how to do it.  Why wait until it's too late?