July 6, 2015 – Greg Rickford, Canada’s minister of Natural Resources, recently announced the Government of Canada has selected the Canadian National Energy Alliance (CNEA) as the preferred bidder to manage and operate Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), a subsidiary of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL).

CNEA represents a group of nuclear engineering and management firms, including:

• CH2M Hill Canada Ltd.
• Fluor Government Group – Canada Inc.
• EnergySolutions Canada Group Ltd.
• SNC-Lavalin Inc.
• Rolls-Royce Civil Nuclear Canada Ltd.

According to SNC-Lavalin, this announcement marks the final steps “in the successful restructuring of AECL, which began when SNC-Lavalin purchased the assets of the commercial reactor division of AECL in 2011 and, with it, the exclusive rights to CANDU nuclear technology in 2011”.

The feds and CNEA will now finalize the contract for the management of CNL, which will be operated under a GoCo model (Government-owned, Contractor-operated).

“Our government is demonstrating support for jobs and growth in nuclear energy by investing in science and technology, advancing trade opportunities and maintaining a world-class safety regime,” said Rickford.