CANADIAN NUCLEAR INDUSTRY SIGNALS INTEREST IN SUPERCLUSTER INITIATIVE

OTTAWA (July 26, 2017) – Canada’s nuclear industry leaders have submitted a Letter of Intent application to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) in response to an open call for expressions of interest from industry-led consortia to participate in ISED’s $950 Million Innovation Supercluster Initiative (ISI).

The proposal is for the creation of a Canadian Leadership in Advanced Nuclear Energy Supercluster (CLeAN).  This Supercluster would place Canada as a leader in providing the world with a timely solution to the clean energy challenge.

CLeAN has four developers as participants: Terrestrial Energy (TEI), Moltex Energy, SNC Lavalin Nuclear, and Advanced Reactor Concepts (ARC).  U-battery has confirmed that they would like to join at the Full Application stage. Discussions are taking place with other likely developers that may move focus to Canada if the Supercluster is created.

CLeAN includes all the other participants needed to qualify at the letter of intent stage, including Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) and Hatch as large companies, Promation, Integra, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology and McMaster University. Provincial power companies, including Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and Sask Power, have confirmed their interest in becoming participants in their letters of support. Many other industry partners including Kinectrics have written providing support and saying they will be in a position to participate at the Full Application stage.

Other participating and supporting organizations include Amec Foster Wheeler, BSI Global Solutions Inc., the University Network of Excellence in Nuclear Engineering (UNENE) and URENCO Group.

The proposal has considerable support from organizations that will work with CLeAN to assure success such as the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC).

The Canadian Nuclear industry is already a comprehensive industry cluster with an extensive research network. Many of the companies are connected through membership of the Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA) and/or the Organization of Canadian Nuclear Industries (OCNI).

With more and more people enjoying energy intensive lifestyles and attention being paid to decarbonizing, heating and transport there is a massive growing demand for clean energy. Advanced nuclear technologies (including Advanced Fuels, Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Fusion) provide options for meeting that demand.

Canada’s existing nuclear innovation supercluster has demonstrated the capacity to deliver sustainable emissions-free energy and innovation to Canadians for six decades.  A new wave of technology possibilities is waiting.  The organizations supporting CLeAN are showing their commitment and eagerness to provide much-needed solutions to the clean energy/climate challenge.

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For more information:

Paul Hebert
Director of Communications
(613) 237-4262
hebertp@cna.ca