SNC-Lavalin announced it received a contract to provide engineering and design services as part of the development of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories' new Advanced Nuclear Materials Research Center (ANMRC).

SNC-Lavalin’s Candu Energy business will help design the structures and foundations for 12 shielded hot cells at the research complex in Chalk River, Ontario. The contract, valued at more than $10 million U.S. dollars, is expected to last two years. SNC-Lavalin is assisting Eclipse Automation in the effort.

Once complete, the 12 shielded hot cells will allow post-irradiation examination of small modular reactor (SMR) components and support next-generation nuclear technologies. SNC-Lavalin will also design and develop an active liquid waste management system for the laboratory.

"This important mandate demonstrates our team's trusted ability to deliver key projects across the entire nuclear lifecycle- including outside the operational nuclear power plant market," said Sandy Taylor, President of Nuclear for SNC-Lavalin.

The ANMRC is expected to be one of the largest research and development facilities in Canada.

SNC-Lavalin's capabilities in the sector cover the entire life cycle of a nuclear asset, from design of new builds; reactor support and life extensions; through to decommissioning and waste management.

The ANMRC will be a 10,000 square meter research complex that will accommodate 240 employees and consolidate key capabilities from aging facilities that are scheduled for decommissioning, according to the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ website.

The project agreement was signed in November 2021 and is part of a 10-year transformation of the Chalk River campus, funded through a $1.2 billion investment from Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., the owner of the site, on behalf of the Canadian government.

The ANDE tooling system performs ultrasonic inspections in a wet, defueled channel. It takes seven to eight hours to process each channel, according to Bruce Power. This ultrasonic testing measures for flaws, channel diameter, wall thickness, sag and pressure tube to calandria tube gap, and also located garter springs. This is used to verify physical integrity of the tube and to help prolong the health of the reactor core.

This is the latest announcement regarding maintenance at Bruce Power in Ontario, Canada. In January, we reported that SNC-Lavalin, along with Aecon Group Inc. and United Engineers & Constructors Inc. were awarded a fuel channel and feeder replacement contract for Bruce Unit 3. The contract is worth more than C$393 million ($310 million). Aecon holds a 55% share in the project, SNC-Lavalin has a 30% share and United Engineers & Constructors holds 15%.

For that job, the work involves modernizing reactor-related components – 480 fuel channels and calandria tubes, 960 end fittings and 980 feeder pipes. The partners will also be responsible for operations, robotics and employee management and training. Planning is expected to start in conjunction with a scheduled outage at the nuclear station in early 2022, with a project completion target of 2026.

SNC-Lavalin has been performing fuel channel inspections for Bruce Power for more than six years.

“Bruce Power and SNC-Lavalin have a long history of collaboration to ensure that nuclear safety remains paramount as we deliver clean, reliable power to Ontario homes and businesses for the long term,” said Gary Newman, Bruce Power’s Chief Engineer & Senior Vice President, Engineering.

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