Nuclear Power Industry Safety Performance Reports
Updated June 18, 2013
Each year, the CNSC publishes a report on the safety performance of Canada's nuclear power plants. The report assesses how well plant operators are meeting regulatory requirements and program expectations in areas such as human performance, radiation and environmental protection and emergency management and fire protection.
This annual report makes comparisons and shows trends, where possible, and it highlights emerging regulatory issues pertaining to the industry at large and to each licensed station.
2012 Report: Send Us Your Comments!
You are invited to comment on the CNSC Staff Integrated Safety Assessment of Canadian Nuclear Power Plants for 2012. You have until July 16, 2013, to do so. The Commission will hold a public meeting on August 21, 2013, to discuss the report's findings. A status update on the progress of the CNSC Action Plan in response to the Fukushima accident will also be presented at that meeting.
Read 2012 DRAFT Report (PDF)
Reports
2011 (PDF) | 2010 Report (PDF) | 2009 (PDF) | 2008 (PDF) | 2007 (HTML) | 2006 (PDF)
Overall performance highlights for 2012
A CNSC inspector verifying a control panel
In 2012:
- seven NPPs were operating at five sites in three provinces
- the year opened with 17 operational reactor units
- Bruce A Units 1 and 2 restarted after undergoing refurbishment
- Point Lepreau was relicensed, and restarted after undergoing refurbishment
- Gentilly-2 was operational throughout 2012, and was shut down and ended commercial operation in December
- the year ended with 19 operational reactor units
Through inspections, reviews and assessments, CNSC staff concluded that the NPPs operated safely during 2012. The evaluations of all findings for the safety and control areas (SCAs) show that, overall, NPP licensees made adequate provisions for the protection of the health, safety and security of Canadians and the environment from the use of nuclear energy, and took the measures required to implement Canada's international obligations.
The following observations support the conclusion of safe operation:
- there were no serious process failures at the NPPs
- no member of the public received a radiation dose that exceeded the regulatory limit
- no workers at any NPP received a radiation dose that exceeded the regulatory limits
- the frequency and severity of non-radiological injuries to workers was minimal
- no radiological releases from the stations exceeded the regulatory limits
- licensees complied with their licence conditions concerning Canada's international obligations
Table 1 summarizes the 2012 ratings for Canada's NPPs. This table presents the SCAs for each station, the industry averages, and the integrated plant ratings that measure a plant's overall safety performance. The rating categories are "fully satisfactory" (FS), "satisfactory" (SA), "below expectations" (BE) and "unacceptable" (UA).
The integrated plant ratings in 2012 were "fully satisfactory" for Darlington and "satisfactory" for all other stations. These ratings are unchanged from the previous two years. None of the licensees received an integrated plant rating of "below expectations" or "unacceptable".
| Safety and control area | Bruce | Darlington | Pickering | Gentilly–2 | Point Lepreau | Industry average | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | B | A | B | |||||
| Management system | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA |
| Human performance management | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA |
| Operating performance | SA | SA | FS | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA |
| Safety analysis | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA |
| Physical design | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA |
| Fitness for service | SA | SA | FS | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA |
| Radiation protection | SA | SA | FS | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA |
| Conventional health and safety | FS | FS | FS | SA | SA | SA | FS | FS |
| Environmental protection | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA |
| Emergency management and fire protection | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA |
| Waste management | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA |
| Security | FS | FS | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA |
| Safeguards and non-proliferation | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA |
| Packaging and transport | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA |
| Integrated plant rating | SA | SA | FS | SA | SA | SA | SA | SA |
Performance highlights of each NPP
Bruce A and B
The 2012 integrated plant ratings for Bruce A and B were both "satisfactory", unchanged from 2011. While most SCA ratings were "satisfactory", CNSC staff assigned "fully satisfactory" performance ratings in two areas:
- conventional health and safety
- security
In October, the "Huron Challenge – Trillium Resolve" emergency management exercise was held at the Bruce Power site. This provincial exercise demonstrated that the licensee has an effective program and is able to respond to severe threats to the facility.
Bruce A successfully completed the Unit 1 and 2 refurbishment activities and returned both units to service.
Darlington
The 2012 integrated plant rating for Darlington was "fully satisfactory", unchanged from 2008. While most SCA ratings were "satisfactory", CNSC staff assigned "fully satisfactory" performance ratings in four areas:
- operating performance
- fitness for service
- radiation protection
- conventional health and safety
In November, the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) honoured Darlington with an INPO Award of Excellence – positive recognition by industry peers of Darlington's continuous achievements in operational excellence and safety.
The Commission held an extensive public hearing to consider the environmental assessment completed for the refurbishment of four units at Darlington. The hearing also included the renewal of the Darlington operating licence. The licence renewal enables Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to prepare its application to cover the proposed refurbishment project, including CNSC-mandated safety reviews to ensure the facility continues to meet stringent standards.
Pickering A and B
The 2012 integrated plant ratings for Pickering A and B were both "satisfactory", unchanged from 2011. CNSC staff assigned all SCA ratings as "satisfactory".
During 2012, OPG continued to address previously identified compliance issues in the area of personnel certification, through improvements such as implementing a new on-the-job training program.
Gentilly-2
The 2012 integrated plant rating for Gentilly-2 was "satisfactory", unchanged from 2011. CNSC staff assigned all SCA ratings as "satisfactory".
Near the end of December 2012, Hydro-Québec ended commercial operation at Gentilly-2 and began transitioning the reactor to safe storage in preparation for future decommissioning.
Point Lepreau
The 2012 integrated plant rating for Point Lepreau was "satisfactory", unchanged from 2011. CNSC staff assigned most SCA ratings as "satisfactory" and the site achieved "fully satisfactory" in conventional health and safety.
The Commission renewed New Brunswick Power's licence for the operation of Point Lepreau. The reactor returned to commercial operation in November 2012 after successfully completing refurbishment work.
Response to the Fukushima Daiichi accident
The Canadian nuclear power industry is on track to complete all Fukushima action items (FAIs) by December 2015.
The FAIs were established to address the recommendations of the CNSC Fukushima Task Force for enhancements to Canadian NPPs in response to the Fukushima Daiichi accident. All licensees made satisfactory progress in implementing the FAIs. By the end of 2012, all 18 short-term FAIs were closed for Bruce Power and OPG and were either closed or being reviewed for closure for the other licensees. This status is consistent with the deadlines established in the CNSC Action Plan.
Public information and disclosure program
All licensees progressed towards meeting the deadline of December 2013 to ensure that their public information and disclosure programs meet the requirements of RD/GD-99.3, Public Information and Disclosure, a regulatory document published by the CNSC in 2012.
Safety and control area framework
CNSC staff use the SCA framework in evaluating safety performance. During 2012, CNSC staff conducted a review of the specific areas within the framework. Some of the recommended changes have been adopted in this 2012 NPP Report. The complete revised SCA framework will be implemented in next year's 2013 NPP Report.