In terms of the Main Estimates, the supplementary amounts you see are distributed in instalments. We are in the process of restructuring. That means that what was in the Main Estimates corresponded to the normal votes for the usual operations.
There are two aspects to the costs. First, in the case of the CANDU, there have been cost overruns because of the refurbishments. Some $418 million has had to be spent to refurbish the various reactors. When we are operating in instalments, the faster the transaction is completed, the faster we will be able to have better forecasts.
But one thing is certain, and this relates to your other question concerning the private sector. Whatever happens, contracts have been signed by the government and we will honour our obligations. That is why I have asked two experts to consider the Point Lepreau case in particular. We want there to be financial valuations and project evaluations to get more conclusive estimates than in the past.
On the second aspect, there have been massive investments in recent years in the Chalk River laboratories. We know there was an audit done by the Auditor General in 2007. She said the laboratory was in poor condition. The government's role was to spend money to make up for lost time, because there were not enough investments in the past. We have therefore restored it to appropriate condition. That explains the cost of the additional money.
You also talked about isotopes. We share your concern about the fact that the NRU has stopped operating. We have seen how fragile the supply chain is. That is why we have asked other countries to have a coordinating group to discuss how to better plan the isotope supply. We know that it came from five reactors that are not recent, that are old.
As well, we said that we will spend the money needed to make sure that the reactors are in working order and there is another licence until 2016, in addition to looking for alternative methods. That explains why we have made $45 million in investments to study the feasibility of continuing and pushing for isotope production, whether in the form of cyclotrons or nuclear accelerators, which generate little or almost no waste. This is an alternative method that is very promising and we are continuing to invest in that.