Global First Power Ltd., Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation™ and Ontario Power Generation announced the formation of a joint venture – the Global First Power Limited Partnership – which will build, own, and operate the proposed Micro Modular Reactor™ Project at the Chalk River Laboratories site. The joint venture is owned equally by OPG and USNC-Power, the Canadian subsidiary of USNC, and is based on the project initiated in 2019 by GFP. (CNW Group/Ontario Power Generation Inc.)
While nobody’s saying present Canadian Nuclear Laboratories operators won’t be in Chalk River for a long time to come, the regulatory process indicates its time to see if anybody else wants the job to run the site.
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), a Canadian federal Crown corporation responsible to drive nuclear innovation for Canada, held a briefing and site tour for potential bidders March 23rd.
The next step is a “Request for Pre-Qualification” as part of the competitive procurement process to renew the contract to manage Canadian Nuclear Laboratories.
That got underway March 31st.
Interested bidders will be asked to demonstrate that they meet mandatory technical criteria, financial capability requirements, security requirements, and integrity criteria.
In the coming months, AECL will also be engaging with local communities and Indigenous communities and Nations to gather input that could help inform the new contract.
Note that Canadian Nuclear Laboratories itself is not changing, and continues to be responsible for operating AECL’s sites and assets.
For more information, please visit www.aecl.ca/about-aecl/goco-contract-renewal
By Rick Stow
