2010 News Releases

AECL achieves milestone in Korean CANDU Refurbishment Project
Fuel channel assembly installation complete
Wolsong, South Korea; 2010 December 01 — AECL has reached an important milestone with the first successful completion in Wolsong, South Korea, of the removal and replacement of calandria tubes, pressure tubes and end fittings in a CANDU 6 nuclear reactor.
Point Lepreau Generating Station Refurbishment Project Update
Fredericton, NB, 2010 November 29 — Work on the Point Lepreau Generating Station’s Refurbishment Project continues. On October 15, 2010, AECL announced their recommendation to proceed with removal and replacement of the 380 calandria tubes and revised its project schedule with a planned completion date of May 2012 for Phase 2 of the overall Point Lepreau Generating Station Refurbishment Project.
AECL congratulates UNB Engineering Student for winning first Pilkington Prize
Fredericton, New Brunswick; 2010 November 23 — AECL's inaugural Pilkington Prize was presented last Saturday evening at the University of New Brunswick’s (UNB) Faculty of Engineering Awards Dinner, honouring Chemical Engineering student Patrick (Pat) McGill.
AECL’s ZED-2 Reactor Receives Prestigious Designation from the American Nuclear Society
Reactor designated nuclear historical landmark during its 50th anniversary
Chalk River, 2010 November 02 — The international nuclear community designated AECL's Zero Energy Deuterium 2 (ZED-2) research reactor a nuclear historical landmark today at a technical conference in Ottawa.
George C. Laurence Inducted into Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame
Chalk River, 2010 October 21 — AECL is pleased to announce that George C. Laurence (1905 – 1987) will be posthumously inducted into the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa today.
AECL United Way Campaign a Success
Chalk River, 2010 October 18 — In the spirit of giving AECL’s CRL recently wrapped up its two-week United Way Employee Campaign by raising over $90,000 for the Renfrew County United Way.
Point Lepreau Generating Station Refurbishment Project Update
Fredericton, NB, 2010 October 15 (revised) — Work on the Point Lepreau Generating Station’s Refurbishment Project continues. On Friday, October 8, 2010, it was announced that AECL had recommended that all 380 calandria tubes previously inserted inside the reactor be removed and replaced as part of the required technical solution to achieve calandria tube rolled joint seal integrity.
AECL employees run, walk and cycle for the Renfrew County United Way
Chalk River, 2010 September 30 — Twenty-four runners, walkers and cyclists from AECL – Chalk River Laboratories (CRL) were fortunate that they didn’t get caught in any rain on Friday, September 24 as they participated in the third annual Running of the Bears event for their annual United Way Campaign.
AECL Celebrates Grand Opening of its New Brockhouse Building
New Facility Named After Former Employee and Nobel Laureate Dr. Bertram Brockhouse
Chalk River, 2010 September 28 — AECL today celebrated an important milestone in the renewal of the Chalk River Laboratories site with the official opening of its brand new Brockhouse Building.
New lab for nuclear hydrogen opens
Oshawa, 13 September 2010 — The Canadian Snowbirds demonstration team soared over the official opening of the Clean Energy Research Laboratory (CERL) at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Oshawa last week.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 August 25 — AECL reports that the NRU return to service activities are complete and that the reactor reached high power operation on August 17. The first Molybdenum-99 isotope was harvested from NRU and delivered to our customer, MDS Nordion, on August 18. Today, AECL reports that the NRU has resumed full production of medical isotopes.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 August 20 — AECL reports that as part of NRU return to service activities, a planned reactor shut down is scheduled for early next week.
AECL appoints new Senior Vice-President responsible for Nuclear Laboratories
Chalk River, 2010 August 20 — AECL today announces the appointment of Dr. Robert Walker as Senior Vice-President responsible for AECL's Nuclear Laboratories. The appointment is effective November 15, 2010.
NRU Reactor Harvests First Isotopes
Chalk River, 2010 August 18 — AECL reports that it has harvested the first Molybdenum-99 isotopes from the NRU and that the reactor is in steady operation.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 August 17 — AECL reports that it has concluded low-power testing on the NRU reactor. As a result, the reactor is now operating at high power and can begin to create medical isotopes.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 August 11 — AECL reports that progress continues with NRU return-to-service activities.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 August 04 — AECL reports that progress continues with NRU return-to-service activities. Replacement and testing of the reactor monitoring equipment, which contributed to a delay in the restart of NRU, was successfully completed.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 July 28 — AECL reports that progress continues on the NRU return-to-service activities. The return-to-service team has successfully loaded more than half the reactor fuel completing its first stage of fuel loading and has conducted the first of four assessments used to verify fuelling calculations.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 July 21 — AECL reports that progress continues on the NRU return-to-service activities. The return-to-service team has completed commissioning of startup instrumentation - specialized equipment required for the restart of the reactor after the extended outage.
Point Lepreau Generating Station Refurbishment Project Update
2010 July 21 — The Point Lepreau Generating Station Refurbishment Project is approximately 75% complete.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 July 14 — AECL reports that progress continues on the NRU return-to-service activities.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 July 07 — On Monday July 5, 2010, AECL appeared before the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) in a public hearing to consider AECL’s application for the restart of NRU.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 June 30 — AECL reports that the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) has completed its inspections and assessments of the NRU weld repairs and the vessel’s fitness-for-service.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 June 25 — AECL reports that it made a request to the CNSC to reschedule the previously announced public hearing date to consider AECL’s application for the restart of NRU.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 June 23 — AECL reports that restart activities for the NRU Return-to-Service project are ongoing and that the NRU vessel has been refilled to its operating level.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 June 16 — AECL reports that one hundred per cent (100%) of the NRU weld repairs are now complete. During the past week, the repair team completed the finishing weld and a series of non-destructive examinations (NDE) of the final repair site.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 June 09 — AECL reports that the NRU weld repairs remain at ninety-eight per cent complete as work continues to address a single imperfection that was identified during non-destructive examination (NDE) of the final weld repair.
Point Lepreau Generating Station Refurbishment Project Update
Fredericton , N.B., 2010 June 03 — Overall work on the Point Lepreau Generating Station’s Refurbishment project is approximately 75% complete.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 June 02 — AECL reports that ninety-eight per cent of the NRU weld repairs are now complete.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 May 26 — AECL reports that the final and most challenging weld repair was applied to the NRU vessel over the weekend. Ninety-three per cent of the NRU weld repair activities are now complete.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 May 19 — AECL reports that work on the final repair site has commenced and to date 77 per cent of the NRU weld repairs and associated Non-Destructive Examinations (NDE) have been completed.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 May 12 — AECL reports that 71 per cent of the weld repairs and associated Non-Destructive Examinations (NDE) have been completed.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 May 05 — AECL reports that 71 per cent of the weld repairs and associated Non-Destructive Examinations (NDE) have been completed.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 April 28 — AECL reports that 71 per cent of the weld repairs and associated Non-Destructive Examinations (NDE) have been completed.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 April 21 — The repair phase of the project began on December 12, 2009. AECL reports that non-destructive examination (NDE) of the most recent repair is nearing completion bringing the total per cent of repair and associated NDE completed to date to 69 per cent, up from the 65 per cent reported last week.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 April 14 — The repair phase of the project began on December 12, 2009. To date 65 per cent of the repair work and associated non-destructive examinations have been completed.
AECL's Enhanced CANDU 6 Reactor (EC6) Achieves Important Milestone of Canadian Regulator's Pre-Project Design Review
Mississauga, 2010 April 08 — The CNSC has completed Phase 1 of a Pre-Project Design Review of AECL's Enhanced CANDU 6 reactor™ (EC6™). The conclusion is that, at an overall level, the design intent is compliant with the CNSC regulatory requirements and meets the expectations for new nuclear power plants in Canada.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 April 07 — The repair phase of the project began on December 12, 2009. To date 65 per cent of the repair work and associated non-destructive examinations have been completed.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 March 31 — The repair phase of the project began on December 12, 2009. AECL has successfully completed eight of ten weld site repairs. Work on the ninth repair site is in progress and is nearing completion.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 March 25 — The repair phase of the project began on December 12, 2009. AECL has successfully completed eight of ten weld site repairs representing more than half (56%) of the repair work necessary in order to return the NRU to service.
CANDU Reactor in China first to directly use recovered uranium fuel
Major milestone demonstrates CANDU’s fuel cycle flexibility
Beijing, 2010 March 23 — AECL announced today that the first-ever fuel bundle to directly use recovered uranium from light water reactors was successfully placed in the Qinshan CANDU Unit 1 Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) on Monday, March 22.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 March 17 — AECL reports that NRU reactor vessel repair activities continue. The overall repair process began on December 12, 2009. To date, 51 per cent of the repair activities and associated post-repair examinations have been completed.
Time to capitalize on CANDU’s potential
2010 March 17 — AECL’s Senior Vice-President and Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Anthony De Vuono recently submitted an editorial to the Financial Post outlining some of his reasons for moving to Canada from the U.S. to join AECL. An edited version appeared in the Post on March 17.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 March 10 — AECL reports that NRU reactor vessel repair activities continue. The overall repair process began on December 12, 2009.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 March 03 — AECL reports that NRU reactor vessel repair activities continue. The overall repair process began on December 12, 2009.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 February 24 — AECL reports that NRU reactor vessel repair activities continue. The overall repair process began on December 12, 2009.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 February 17 — AECL reports that NRU reactor vessel repair activities continue. The repair team completed the non-destructive examination of the second horizontal weld repair and is preparing the vessel for the next series of repairs.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 February 10 — AECL reports that NRU reactor vessel repair activities continue. The repair team completed its second horizontal weld repair and is preparing the vessel for the next series of repairs.
SC EnergoNuclear S.A. and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited sign contract
Major milestone towards realization of the Cernavoda NPP Units 3 and 4 investment project
Bucharest, 2010 February 08 — SC EnergoNuclear S.A. (EnergoNuclear) and AECL today announced the signing of a major contract to assess the technical and commercial viability, and planning of the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) Units 3 and 4 investment project in Romania, currently in the pre-project phase.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 February 03 — AECL reports that NRU reactor vessel repair activities continue. The repair team completed its first horizontal weld repair and are preparing the vessel for the next series of horizontal weld repairs.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 January 27 — AECL reports that the NRU reactor vessel repair activities are currently focused on preparation work in advance of the next series of weld repairs. The overall repair process commenced on December 12.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 January 20 — AECL reports that the NRU reactor vessel repair activities are currently focused on preparation work in advance of the next series of weld repairs. To date, 29 per cent of the repair activities are complete.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 January 13 — AECL reports that the NRU reactor vessel repair activities are currently focused on preparation work in advance of the next series of weld repairs that will use horizontal welding machines.
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Chalk River, 2010 January 06 — AECL reports that NRU reactor vessel repair activities continue to progress at the Chalk River Laboratories.

AECL

Find it here

2010 News Releases