Canadian Nuclear Laboratories

06/02/2026

Last week, CNL hosted an internal Decommissioning & Waste Management (DWM) Summit at the Chalk River Laboratories site. The Summit included presentations, panels, and a tradeshow, bringing together colleagues from within our company to connect, share perspectives, and discuss the projects and priorities shaping our work across all CNL sites. We are grateful for this amazing opportunity to come together and look forward to integrating the key themes from the Summit as we progress the DWM mission at CNL.

06/01/2026

June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada. It is a time to honour the stories, achievements, and resilience of Indigenous Peoples and an opportunity to learn more about the cultures, traditions, and experiences of First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Visit National Indigenous History Month to learn more and discover how you can participate. https://ow.ly/VXHe50Z5KKP

06/01/2026

For more than 70 years, a 46-metre-tall reinforced concrete chimney, known as the Reactor Stack Building, has supported the ventilation systems for several key facilities at Chalk River Laboratories, including the National Research Universal (NRU), National Research Experimental (NRX), and Dedicated Isotope Facility (DIF) buildings. As CNL transitions these facilities to new modern ventilation systems, airflow through the original stack will soon decrease, creating new environmental and operational considerations.

To safely bridge this transition, CNL’s Decommissioning and Environmental Remediation team has installed a specially engineered annular plate cover at the top of the stack. This funnel-shaped temporary cap will maintain the required ventilation levels until the new systems are fully operational.

Installed 160 feet in the air using two cranes, the project required exceptional coordination, engineering precision, and teamwork. This temporary measure is essential as CNL progresses toward the eventual full decommissioning of the historic reactor stack in the years ahead.

05/29/2026

Our Gentilly-1 decommissioning team has been working for years to prepare the Gentilly-1 Waste Facility (G1WF) for Phase 3 decommissioning, and we are now seeking the necessary regulatory approvals from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to move into this final phase, which would close the lifecycle of the G1WF. Learn more about the decommissioning at https://ow.ly/XzTJ50Z4RiO.

The CNSC has scheduled a hearing in writing on our application to allow for final decommissioning for 2026 July. More information on participating in this hearing, including our Commission Member Document is available on the CNSC website: https://ow.ly/iK9E50Z4RiQ.

05/29/2026

We’re incredibly proud to celebrate Team Renfrew County’s big wins last night at the Canada-Wide Science Fair!

Competing among hundreds of projects from across the country, their work truly stood out earning the team bronze and special awards.

These achievements are a reminder of the value of bold ideas and the importance of giving the next generation of scientists a platform to shine.

Go Team Renfrew County!

05/28/2026

Nous sommes ravis de faire découvrir les coulisses de notre centrale nucléaire de Gentilly-1 !https://youtu.be/828krVxAW_w?si=zGUxZl3OD-UokyqM
Un grand merci à Osama Baig d'avoir partagé l'histoire de Gentilly-1 alors que nous préparons son déclassement www.cnl.ca/g1

05/27/2026

, last week AECL announced a $2.2 billion capital commitment from the Government of Canada to continue the revitalization of the Chalk River Laboratories. That funding will enable CNL to continue to modernize the Chalk River campus through the renewal of essential site infrastructure and a significant investment in new, world-class science facilities.

This means new state-of-the-art research laboratories for customers in government, industry and academia. And, it means more reliable, modern, safer and sustainable campus infrastructure, enabling CRL to deliver on our important missions today and for decades to come.

“The nuclear industry is moving into a new era that will include the construction of new, large-scale conventional reactors, innovative SMR and advanced reactor designs, and even the deployment of fusion technologies," commented Dennis Carr, CNL’s President and CEO. "All these ambitious projects will require extensive R&D and the necessary innovation to ensure they are safe, reliable and viable. That is the role of Canada’s national nuclear laboratories, and I want to thank AECL and the Government of Canada for their confidence in CNL to fulfill this responsibility.”

To learn more, visit https://www.cnl.ca/government-of-canada-announces-2-2-billion-capital-commitment-for-chalk-river-laboratories-renewal/

Federal funding commitment enables ongoing site revitalization of Canada’s national nuclear laboratories, supporting Canada’s New Strategy for Nuclear Energy Chalk...

05/26/2026

🪶Tomorrow is NPD's big night out🪶! Registration is now closed for our 2026 Chimney Swift Count Night, but we encourage all to watch our Facebook Livestream (www.facebook.com/CanadianNuclearLaboratories) For more info ➡️www.cnl.ca/swifts

05/26/2026

We’re proud to be the hosts for OECD Nuclear Energy Agency's next Global Forum Rising Stars Workshop 2026!

Supported by AECL EACL, this global initiative aims to connect and elevate emerging female leaders in nuclear science, technology, policy, and education, helping to build a stronger, more inclusive talent pipeline for the future of our industry.

Nominations are open until June 15, 2026 — institutions are encouraged to put forward exceptional candidates ready to shape the future of nuclear. See more details about the workshop here 👉 https://www.oecd-nea.org/jcms/pl_118257/nea-global-forum-rising-stars-workshop-2026

05/20/2026

CNL would like to congratulate one of our nuclear colleagues, AECL President and CEO, Fred Dermarkar, on being elected as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE).

One of Canada’s highest professional distinctions in engineering, Fred joins over 800 Fellows that have demonstrated their dedication to the application of science and engineering principles to advance social, environmental, economic and technical solutions. In addition to his role at AECL, Fred has served as President and CEO of the CANDU Owners Group (now Conexus), had a distinguished 33-year career at Ontario Power Generation, and won multiple nuclear industry awards for advancing nuclear safety, fostering partnerships, and strengthening Canada’s nuclear leadership.

To learn more, visit www.aecl.ca/news. Congratulations, Fred!