Canada’s SNC-Lavalin Group has become a Founding Member of the Nuclear Innovation Institute (NII), joining other industry leaders to accelerate the pace of clean energy innovation, NII said on 4 March. SNC-Lavalin’s CANDU reactors represent more than 20,000 MW of installed capacity in eight countries worldwide. SNC-Lavalin is also an instrumental player in Canada’s largest clean energy infrastructure projects. It is bringing its expertise and support to Bruce Power’s $13 billion Major Component Replacement programme that will extend the life of the Bruce reactors to 2064.

NII provides a platform for companies to test and deploy innovative technology and process solutions that improve performance across the nuclear industry. “SNC-Lavalin brings its design expertise to the table, looking to the future of nuclear, including Gen IV reactors, SMRs and innovative nuclear fuels,” NII noted.

“SNC-Lavalin was founded over 100 years ago with its roots in electricity projects and continues our clean energy tradition as the steward of Canada’s storied CANDU technology,” said Sandy Taylor, President, Nuclear, SNC-Lavalin. “Our success has always been built on strong partnerships, so we look forward to participating with NII in the strategic work it embarks on to enable Canada’s net zero ambitions and a legacy of jobs, growth and innovation in Canada’s nuclear space,” he added.

“SNC-Lavalin’s history of excellence in the origins of Canada’s nuclear industry and their experience with evolving the CANDU technology makes them an invaluable collaborator on developing new innovations for our industry,” said Mike Rencheck, Chair, NII Board of Directors and President and CEO of Bruce Power. 

In addition to SNC-Lavalin, NII’s Founding Members group now includes Bruce Power, BWX Technologies, Cameco, ES Fox Limited, Kinectrics and the County of Bruce.