BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Inc. - Peterborough
BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Inc. (BWXT), formerly known as GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Canada Inc., owns and is licensed to operate a nuclear fuel fabrication facility in Peterborough, Ontario. The CNSC also has full-time staff who perform inspections periodically to evaluate operations and verify compliance with regulatory requirements and licence conditions.
- Facility Information
- Latest CNSC Facility-Specific Announcements
- Disclosure Protocol
- Regulatory Reporting
- Other Key Topics
Facility Information
BWXT's Peterborough nuclear fuel facility
Location: Peterborough, Ontario
Licensee: BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Inc.
Status: Operating
Licence issued: January 1, 2021
Licence expires: December 31, 2030
Start of commercial operation: 1955
BWXT manufactures nuclear fuel bundles for Canada's nuclear power plants from uranium dioxide (UO2) powder. It operates two Ontario sites under two separate CNSC licences: one site in Toronto and one in Peterborough. The Peterborough facility receives pellets and loads them into tubes that are sealed and assembled into fuel bundles. With its renewed licence, the Peterborough facility is allowed to carry on the commercial production of UO2 fuel pellets on the condition that BWXT submits a final commissioning report on the commercial production of fuel pellets that is acceptable to the Commission. BWXT will be allowed to produce fuel pellets at only one of its facilities at any time. For more information about the facility, see BWXT's website.
Focus on safety and the environment
The CNSC is committed to protecting the safety of people and the environment.
Further to the BWXT licence renewal hearing in March 2020, the CNSC conducted soil resampling for beryllium, as directed by the Commission, at sites adjacent to BWXT’s Peterborough facility. The soil samples were analyzed at the CNSC lab, and the results did not indicate any significant changes in concentrations of beryllium in the soil in Peterborough. The CNSC provided a supplemental submission on the resampling results for the Commission’s consideration in BWXT’s licence renewal request.
Click below for current environmental and safety performance data for BWXT's Peterborough nuclear fuel facility.
- Regulatory oversight report for uranium and nuclear substance processing facilities
- Independent Environmental Monitoring Program: BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada (BWXT), (formerly GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Canada – Peterborough)
- Federal, provincial and municipal monitoring programs
- BWXT’s environmental monitoring reports
- BWXT’s environmental risk assessment
Operating Performance of BWXT
The CNSC produces an annual report on the performance of uranium fuel cycle and processing facilities, which includes BWXT. The report provides information on events, facility modifications, and areas of increased regulatory focus. It also tracks data on:
- public and worker radiation dose
- lost-time incidents for workers
- environmental monitoring results
- environmental reportable spills and corrective actions taken
- current financial guarantees for future decommissioning costs
Read the report to learn about BWXT's operating performance.
Latest CNSC Facility-Specific Announcements
- December 21, 2020: CNSC renews BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Inc.’s operating licences as two facility-specific licences for the Toronto and Peterborough facilities
- July 29, 2020, Commission grants extension to complete resampling process for BWXT site in Peterborough, Ontario
- July 17, 2020: Further to the BWXT licence renewal hearing in March 2020, the CNSC will conduct soil resampling in Peterborough, Ontario, in July
- January 22, 2020: CNSC releases 2019 IEMP results for BWXT facilities
- December 31, 2019: Revised notice of public hearing to consider an application from BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Inc.
- June 3, 2019: Participant funding for the renewal of BWXT’s operating licence
- April 4, 2019: CNSC releases 2018 Independent Environmental Monitoring Program results for BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada – Peterborough facility
- December 9, 2016: CNSC accepts GE-Hitachi's proposed new financial guarantee and application to transfer and amend its licence to BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Inc. Record of Decision
Disclosure Protocol
As part of the CNSC's regulatory requirements, major licensees must have robust public information and disclosure programs in place.
Regulatory Reporting
- Regulatory oversight report for uranium and nuclear processing facilities in Canada
- BWXT's Annual Compliance Reports
- Regulatory actions
Other Key Topics
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