http://news.excite.ca/news/r/011019/16/news-attack-canada-nucl ear-col

Canada Orders Tighter Security at Nuclear Plants

Updated: Fri, Oct 19 4:57 PM EDT

By David Ljunggren Related stories OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada said on Friday it had ordered the operators of the country's seven nuclear power plants to increase security immediately following a review of their procedures in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Linda Keen, president of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, said that while there was no evidence of any increased threat to the plants it was clear that security had to be tightened because of a higher perceived risk.

She also said the commission was studying the idea of widening an existing ban on flights over the plants, which could, in theory, mean air force jets would be on alert to shoot down threatening aircraft.

The nuclear power generators had already boosted security in the wake of the attacks but Keen said she wanted to ensure every plant followed the same set of rules.

Late on Thursday she ordered operators to station armed response units at the plants. They must also boost security checks on people and vehicles entering the plants, tighten access to sensitive areas, upgrade security checks on some workers and provide better equipment to security guards.

"I want these measures put into place over a short time period...Some of them are immediate," she told a small group of reporters in her Ottawa office.

Five of the seven plants are in Ontario. Two are run by Bruce Power, a partnership between British Energy Plc and Cameco Corp., and three by Ontario Power Generation Inc. Quebec and New Brunswick have one nuclear station each.

The new security measures also apply to the Chalk River nuclear laboratory, northwest of Ottawa, operated by the federal agency Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.

Keen met the operators of all seven plants earlier on Friday to explain the new measures, which were put in place in response to queries she made on Oct. 1 as to what exactly the facilities were doing about security.

"I asked them if there were any impediments to putting this in place...but there was no questioning of the order at all. The order is in place," she said.

In the United States, which has over 100 operating nuclear power plants, fears are high that a major attack on a facility could spread radioactive contamination over a large area.

Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island plant returned to normal on Thursday, a day after the operator reported receiving what it called a credible threat.

"There has not been an attack or the threat of an attack against a nuclear facility in Canada but we talked (to the operators) on the basis of a higher perceived risk by the regulator based on the events on Sept. 11 in the United States and our proximity to the United States," Keen said.

Her officials said the CNSC -- which is in very close contact with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission -- would be sending its security chief to Washington for talks next week.

The CNSC will now start looking at what other security measures could be introduced at the seven plants, including the idea of broadening air exclusion zones over the facilities.

"The question of exclusion zones for aircraft is under active consideration," Keen said.

Asked if this meant fighter jets could one day be asked to shoot down aircraft deemed to be a threat, she replied: "If you're going to have one (an exclusion zone) in place you have to be prepared to enforce it as well."

She declined to discuss the topic further, saying it was a matter for the transport and defense ministries to decide.

A CNSC official said that if a plane did crash into a Canadian power plant it would shut down and any radioactivity leaks would be contained locally.

The safety commission, which regulates more than 4,000 enterprises using nuclear material, will now start studying security at other less critical nuclear facilities.

These include fuel processing plants as well as operations that process radioactive isotopes and nuclear waste.

Canada's seven nuclear power stations -- which contain a total of 22 working reactors -- provide about 15 percent of the country's electricity.

-- Anonymous, October 20, 2001

Answers

I know 15% is not a the majority of our power, but we rely heavily on the plants here in Ontario. Since this all started, I've been wondering if they could be waiting for winter to attack our power grids. My understanding is that there are three grid "networks" in Canada/US. 1. West of the Rockies, 2. Texas, 3. everything else east of the Rockies. Remember the chaos of the Ice Storm in 98 (I think 98). Affected Ontario, Quebec, and the north-eastern US. Since they seem to be concentrating on the eastern portion of the US, that would indicate (if in their plans) that they would hit the eastern power grid. Easiest access points...eastern Canada, would be my bet. Eastern part of the US would suffer most by taking power away in winter. Canada, while perhaps not a direct target, would suffer along with you. Could be a long, cold winter.

-- Anonymous, October 20, 2001

Good point, rb. I've been thinking, Gawd, if we have another ice storm like that terrible one a few years back. . . We wouldn't be too badly off here in central NC but just about anything north of the NC border--wow!

One of the talking heads/chattering classes said that he thought bin Laden was obsessed with financial matters--which makes sense, since I believe he has a degree in Business Admin. He's shown he can make a big dent in the world economy and stock markets and bringing down the power grid in two or three crucial spots would really screw us to the wall. Disabling a couple of refineries wouldn't be beneath him, either.

-- Anonymous, October 20, 2001