Atomic Energy of Canada Limited

From SourceWatch
Jump to navigation Jump to search


Atomic Energy of Canada Limited is a public-owned corporation of the Government of Canada which "develops, designs and markets CANDU power reactors and MAPLE research reactors and MACSTOR(TM) waste storage facilities and manages the construction of nuclear projects worldwide. The corporation also supplies engineering and consulting services for power and research reactors." [1]

Privatization on the agenda

Privatization in the near future is a strong possibility. [2] General Electric has said it would like to gain a stake in the company, [3] Areva has also expressed an interest. The Canadian Government has ordered a full review of AECL's structure, and one option could be a public-private partnership for the firm, which has been struggling to make new sales despite the apparent revival of nuclear power worldwide. [4]

Controversy

At the end of 2007 and beginning of 2008, AECL's Chalk River reactor was restarted, despite opposition from Linda Keen, then Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission President. Keen was fired as a result. [1]

Lobbying for new UK reactors

AECL has been active in the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on Nuclear Energy. [5] It has employed Fleishman Hillard for PR and lobbying. [6]

As part of the UK’s Generic Design Assessment (GDA) system, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has asked applicants to put as much information about their plans into the public domain as possible. Public comments on the safety case(s) were invited by 10th December 2007 . AECL established a website with information it had supplied to the HSE on the Advanced CANDU reactor ACR1000. [7]

AECL is a member of the World Nuclear Association [8], and the Nuclear Energy Institute [9], described as "the propaganda wing of the US Nuclear Industry".

Contact Details

AECL – Sheridan Park
2251 Speakman Drive
Mississauga, Ontario
Canada L5K 1B2
Phone: (905) 823-9040
Website: http://www.aecl.ca/site3.aspx

Kids Education website: http://www.aecl.ca/kidszone/atomicenergy/

External links

AECL website

References

  1. ↑ "About Atomic Energy of Canada Limited". Product News Asia, accessed October 2007.
  2. ↑ Tyler Hamilton, Could reactors withstand blast? Report that regulator will impose new safety standards may pose a big hurdle for AECL nuclear sale in Ontario Toronto Star, January 19, 2007.
  3. ↑ Shawn McCarthy, GE eyes stake in nuclear venture, Globe and Mail, September 21, 2007.
  4. ↑ Randall Palmer, Canada Eyes Selling Stake in Nuclear Firm, Reuters, November 30, 2007.
  5. ↑ See for example Minutes of All Party Parliamentary Group on Nuclear Energy July 24, 2007 attended by Keith Bradley of AECL.
  6. ↑ See for example: Unite: the Union, UK nuclear new build first: AECL & Unite sign joint statement concerning UK input into construction of nuclear reactor 70-80% localisation of reactor build in the UK Press Release, June 26, 2007, which refers press to Fleishman Hillard. Also note Scott Colvin of Fleishman Hillard attended the All-Party Parliament Group on Nuclear Energy Meeting February 23, 2005, which discussed the ACR1000 reactor.
  7. ↑ UK Generic Design Assessment – ACR1000, AECL website accessed December 2007.
  8. ↑ World Nuclear Association List of Members, WNA Website Accessed December 2007
  9. ↑ Nuclear Energy Institute Member Roster, August 2007.
This article is a stub. You can help by expanding it.
Retrieved from "https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Atomic_Energy_of_Canada_Limited&oldid=711620"