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WHITBY.FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25s 1982, PAGE 17 Pickering reactor 5 wifll go critical three ye ars, behmd sehe dule PICKERING -It's flot as dangerous as it looks. In fact, those closely connected with the pro- cess say it's quite safe when handled under the proper conditions. Last Wednesday, off j- ciais at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Sta- tion started to fuel reac- tor Nurnber 5 in pre- paration for starting it Up onl October 1. Ontario Hydro began the construction of Pick- ering 'B' in 1974, repre- senting a $3.8 billion in- vestment and for. the first- time members of the Fourth Estate were, allowed to inspect, first hand, their handiwork. Fully qualified station operators carefully- loaded the 50-pound uranium fuel bundies in- ito the 380 fuel channels inside the reactor.. Each ~fuel channel will hold 12 Ifuel bundies and accord- jing to station spokes- man Jack' Muir, each bundie contains enough energy to operate the average Canadian home for 125 years. Each bundie contais 99.3 per cent non-fission- able uranium and only 0.7. per cent fissionable ur anium whicb is the unstable isotope used to produce the energy that turns water into steam which in turn poweërs the turbines which generate the electricity. The 4,560 bundies in the' reaction chamber will produce 540,000 kilowatts of electricity that will be transmitted onto Hydro's 1"grid" to supply the power- toý homes, businesses and industries throughout the Golden Horseshoe.. Muir says that each bundie costs -about $2,500and bas the amount of energy equivalent to that 'pro- duced by 400' tons of coal. The spokesman said that when ail four new reactors (bringing the total'in service to eight) are operational in 1985, they will be part of Hydro's program to re- duce Ontario's depend- ence on coal and, hydraulic generating stations. He pomnted out that 24 per cent of Ontario's electricity is produced by co ai fueled generat- ors and 31 per cen t by hydraulic stations. In 1981, nuclear power ace- counted for 36 per cent of the province's electri- city but by 1990, 60 par cent of it will be produc- ed in this way. "lWe are reducing our depandence on coal and increasing our depend- ence on nuclear," Muir says. The running 111e of Reactor 5 isbetween 30 and 50 years but accord- ing to commission manager Ken Talbot by that tfime the technology will probably exist to in- crease its usefulness. Talbot added' that Reactor 5 will "go criti- cal" (Hydro's term for turning it on) on Oc- tober 1. Bridge resuits The following are the results of- last week's play at the Whitby Curl- ing Duplicate Bridge Club as reported by Mrs. Harvey Winter. North and South: Perry Laurence and AI Leslie, 123; Mr. and Mrs.' Hugh Baker, 115%; Mrs. A.W. Arm- strong and Mrs. W.C. Ristow, 115; and, MIrs. John Frost and Mrs. P.N. Spratt, a tie v»ll Mr. and Mrs. Art Con- rad, 114%k. East and West: Mr. and Mrs. Jim Wharrie, 138; Mr. and Mrs. Nor- val Wilson, 133%; iss, GeorgieBovay and Mrs. George Steffler, 115; and, Mrs. Zeta Cunning- ton and Mrs. Johanna Flanagan, 103. The results 0f each week's- play will be reported in the following issue of the Whitby Free Press. ANTIQUE SHOW The Kinette C lub of Oshawa will hold its llth annual antique show and sale on September 22 from 1 to 9 pam. a t the Kinsmen Community Centre, 109 Coibourne Street West, Oshawa.' Dealers will be dis- playing a variety of china, sterling, silver, jewelry, glass and furni- ture. Money raised will be used for- the club's* community service work. 'Admnission wiIl be $1. INVITATIONS Nick Pistilli and Rob Whitehouse are seen here carefully loading a 5-pound uranium fuel bundie into one of the 380 fuel channels inside the reactor chamber of Reactor 5 at the Pickering 'B' Nuclear Generating Station. This is the final step in an eight-year construction process that wlll finally allow the reactor - one of four new ones currently under construction at Pickering - to "go-critical", an Ontario Hydro term that means putting it to work producing elec'tricity. -Free Press Staff Photo Avoid the Christmas Rush and Place Your Order Early Handcrafted, personalized gifts. Items ready-made and custom made. 224 Brock St S, Whitby (across f rom the Fire Hall) Store Hours: 9-4. Monday to Frlday 10-2. Saturday