Canadian Nuclear Laboratories Research Facilities

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories research facilities are in Chalk River, Ontario, Canada, approximately 180 km northwest of Ottawa along the Ottawa River. CNL is a nuclear technology center which has undergone renovation.

History

Historically the Chalk River Laboratories was a nuclear power plant and advanced nuclear research facility. CNL began developing nuclear technology in the late 1940's and early 1950s. The government-owned company Atomic energy of Canada Limited (AECL) took over Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories in 1952, but today the site is operated through contractors such as CNL. Research at the site led to the development of the CANDU reactor. Other subjects of research included fuels, hydrogen production, storage and handling of radiation, and more recently alpha therapies medical isotope treatment for cancer. In 2014, Ontario became the first jurisdiction in North America to fully rely on nuclear power and renewable energies. In 2016 a $1.2 billion investment plan over ten years was which required required the decommissioning of 120 aged facilities and designing new centres was released by the Government of Canada.