The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

fj i I 10 The Canadian Statesman. Bowmanvillc, May 17,1989 Darlington G.S. Only Months Away from Startup Students Present 'Les Misérables 5 MRS j by Chris Clark Sometime later this year, .if the Atomic Energy Control Control Board grants the appropriate appropriate licence, unit 2 at the •JDarlington Generating Sta- be fired up. It will ngtx tion will oe tired up, begin producing electricity 12 years after the provincial government approved the project. ü In each of the next three ; years, another reactor will go into operation until all four are producing much- needed electricity for southern southern Ontario, the economic hotspot of Canada. No one living in the Town of Newcastle is unaware of the Darlington project. Protests, Protests, discussions, mounting costs, delays, and promises have characterized the project project during its lifetime to date; Given the rumours and myth which circulate in society society about anything nuclear, Ontario Hydro -..strives to provide the public with access access to the site along the shore of Lake Ontario. Tours for as few as one person 'are welcomed. : Last week, the Bowrrian- ville Rotaiy club. and one journalist climbed onto a control panels operate the reactors, one each. On the left hand side of the entire panel are large red buttons which, when activated, shut down the reactors in less than three seconds. Spanning Spanning the rest of the panel are lights, buttons, levers, and display screens. It is exactly exactly how most people imagine imagine it to'be. From the crucial mechanisms mechanisms in the reactor core and throughout the facility, three sets of wires, all with different routes, find their way to the control panel. Should one or even two separate separate wires be severed, the panel is still in communication communication with the system. Turbine hall is a gaping open space with cranes overhead, overhead, construction all about, and enormous turbines waiting waiting to crank out enough electricity electricity each to supply the needs of 600,000 people. Each one is the size of the school bus which delivered us into the plant. In the reactor, heavy water water (two deuterium molecules molecules lather than two hydrogen hydrogen molecules) circulates amongst the uranium fuel bundles, slowing down the natural fission process and absorbing tremendous amounts of heat.-From there to th. to gain wh.fc.er insight they could about demineralized natural water what currently is ... North w hich immediately boils and Americas largest construe- - tion site. . The immense size of The students of St. Stephen's High School, in Bow- were apparent in the performances this month. Thè erable amount of work to this project and the results ' ' 1 schoolbus and trekked down •v ' LZH 1 rt'ii ' \ " - n j k X* - -f ' "We didn't think we'd ever be able to afford it, until NationalTrust showed us how." Everyone has dreams. For some it's a new kitchen, for others a dream vacation or a brand new car. But not everyone everyone knows how to turn those dreams into the real thing. Let National Trust help you make special things happen, today. We'll listen to your plans, discuss your options and develop a financing package to meet your individual needs. NATIONAL TRUST 68 King St. E., BOWMANVILLE 623-2504 A National Trusted Company . / /-/fXts' immense size everything at Darlington is startling. From the concrete walls (four feet thick in some areas) to the electrical cable (2 inches thick), every piece of equipment seems oversized. Growing out from a relatively simple chemical reaction which produces massive amounts of heat, are endless structures designed designed to do an endless number number of tasks. In the most simplistic terms, the heat created by splitting atoms in the reac- . tor is used to create a powerful powerful flow of steam. The steam, in turn, whirls massive turbines turbines which produce electric- ., ity. Making....this process . work • safely and reliably is something Canadians have been working on as long as any other nation in the world. Hydro proudly claims that the CANDU reactor is the best and safest in the world. One of the most prominent structures at the Darlington site is a building which looks like a short, fat grain silo.-Inside is nothing. The building is a constant vacùum, capable 1 of sucking up radioactive leakage should an accident ever oc- , cur. Hydro expects never to use the building. In fact, there are several structures which likely will never be used. Enormous Rolls Royce jet engines sit idle together with thousands of gallons of. fuel, ready to roar to life and provide instant instant electricity for the pro- . vincial grid if Darlington ever shuts down iinexpec- tantly. There is an entire secondary secondary system for pumping lake water into the reactor to keep it cool if something such as an earthquake cuts off the main intake tunnel which stretches a kilometre out into Lake Ontario. The secondary system has a backup tunnel and its own separate power system. Inside the plant, master .1 creates billowing clouds of steam. There is enough boiling boiling water to make 2 million cups of tea per second, should you want to for some reason. The steam powers the turbines and turns the generator generator which produces electricity. electricity. When all four reactors reactors are in operation, Darlington will produce twice as much power as Niagara Niagara Falls does. Nearly 2.5 million people will receive their electricity from Darlington. Darlington. Once construction on the reactor is complete, the area will be sealed off and never entered during operation. At various • points ..throughout ■the complex; hand arid'foot monitors will measure any radiation which workers may have, picked up. Hydro stresses safety throughout the tour, pointing out the measures they have taken to reduce whatever risk is present at the site. During the summer the Darlington Information Centre Centre is open to the public seven seven days a '.week from 9:00 ,a.m..to ,4:0O p,m.j|y, a \ \ 1 'ntj. irfi •' y j tI ) ,' )rr dj NEWCASTLE RENTAL 123 KING STREET WEST "IN THE VILLAGE OF NEWCASTLE" • Augers • Tampers • Tillers • Pumps • Cement Mixers • Concrete Saws • Fertilizer Spreader • Cement Trowels 987-1039 kc » • < 'r 1 * *> ~ CLIP and SAVE 10% OFF ALL RENTALS SATURDAY, MAY 20TH ONLY Newcastle Rental v ..'i : V ù ; '- i.i i.- SHOP EARLY! SAVINGS END MAY 27TH: i ® ' ; BUILDING CENTRE ,1 y f 8-xl2' SPRUCE EASY-TO-DO PATIO DECK Add more living space to your home by building a sun deck. Ideal for bar- beques, get-togethers or sun bathing. All materials are supplied in lengths and sizes suitable for an 8' x 12' deck, Plans included. Steps, stain, and hardware extra, Also avail, in pressure treated wood 289.99 ea. Outdoor lattice 4' x 8' ... 11.49 ea. 9? DRIVEWAY ! SEALER A rubberized | coal tar emul- j beautifies and maintains asphalt asphalt surfaces. Resistant to petroleum products, n Applic° ,or *99 Driveway .v.-.y.v. refill Early Bird Special 10% OFF Everything a.m. to 10 a.ml Sat., May 20thi -- Cash and Carry only -/ m il I ■ 'ea. lours: Mon. - Thurs. 8 to 6 Friday 8 to 9 Saturday 8 to 6 Telephone 623-6341 DURHAM Prices are Cash and Carry only MB FOR YOUR V_. care BUILDING CENTRE VISA CONVENIENCE