Natural Resources committee  They should provide part of the financing for this.

Natural Resources committee  I don't think we have much of a choice in that. Still, the end user of this specialty is the nuclear industry, the CANDU power industry, which is a very large and a very rich industry, although they claim they're not large and they're not rich.

Natural Resources committee  I'm of the opinion that we can leave the production of radioactive isotopes to other means of production. That seems to be the way to go. I think it would be about a billion dollars to design and build the equivalent of a modern NRU. A research reactor such as the NRU is essential because if you want to refurbish your CANDU in 40 years instead of in 20 years, you need to test material behaviour in accelerated time in a high-flux environment like that provided by the research reactor.

Natural Resources committee  It is a bit difficult for me to answer your question directly. At the École polytechnique de Montréal, we cannot say that we cover all the disciplines related to nuclear engineering. However, we have developed software that is now used by the entire CANDU nuclear industry, not only reactors in Canada or those of the now defunct Gentilly-2 nuclear power plant, but by all CANDU reactors, around the world.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Even though I could give my talk in French, I think I will give it in English for the benefit of most of the people here. I am currently a professor of nuclear engineering at École Polytechnique in Montreal. I have been there for almost 25 years. Previously, I worked for 10 years at Hydro-Québec, doing nuclear safety analysis and reactor control system analysis.

Natural Resources committee  Yes.

Natural Resources committee  I have not taken the position that we are facing rigid regulatory authority. There are many different issues. Perhaps the regulatory authority is following very closely what is happening with the operation of the MAPLE reactor. Perhaps it is a little bit more than what AECL has been used to.

Natural Resources committee  Maybe to answer so everyone understands, since we are the producers of molybdenum-99 and technetium-99m, we can serve ourselves first. When we are no longer producers, we will have to go on the international market. Our neighbours, the Americans, rely on us to feed them with technetium.

Natural Resources committee  There are several facets to your question. I believe that the HANARO reactor experienced a few problems during startup, but that mechanical modifications to its fuel solved these problems. In addition, this reactor has a negative power coefficient, which is not the case for the MAPLE reactors at this time.

Natural Resources committee  Without having studied them in detail, I would say—and even Mr. Smith confirmed this—that the technologies are essentially the same, except for their dimension.

Natural Resources committee  I've given the example of the Darlington reactor. The Darlington reactor is a standard CANDU reactor with essentially more and longer pressure tubes, but basically the same technology. Yet when it was put into service, there were unforeseen vibrations in the primary circuit, which produced long delays in starting up the reactor and commercial service.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I do not know if it's preferable to go in French or in English. I can do both and switch from one to the other. If there are people who would like to hear me in French, I can begin the presentation in French. I may lapse into English sometimes, depending on my train of thought.