Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt, yesterday afternoon in QP. “AECL has world class scientists who worked for 12 years to get the MAPLE reactors working. After 12 years and over $.5 billion not one single isotope was actually produced.”
Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt, yesterday afternoon in QP. “AECL has world class scientists who worked for 12 years to get the MAPLE reactors working. After 12 years and over $.5 billion not one single isotope was actually produced.”
Jill Chitra, vice-president and professional engineer at MDS Nordion, testifying at the standing committee on natural resources, shortly thereafter. “From 2000 to 2008, the MAPLE reactors ran numerous times at various power levels, up to 80 per cent power. Targets were inserted in the reactor for a number of those tests. When targets are inserted in the reactor and it operates at power, isotopes — Moly-99 — is created. Those targets could have been removed and processed and you’d have had medical isotopes for sale. It’s one of the reasons we think MAPLE has potential.”