Ontario Construction News staff writer
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) broke ground last week on the new Advanced Nuclear Materials Research Centre (ANMRC) at the Chalk River Laboratories in Northern Ontario.
Scheduled for completion in spring 2028, the complex will be one of the largest nuclear research facilities ever built in Canada.
The 10,000-square-metre building will include 23 laboratories and consolidate aging facilities scheduled for decommissioning at the site.
“Atomic Energy of Canada Limited is looking to the future. ANMRC is central to our vision to drive nuclear innovation,” said Fred Dermarkar, president and CEO, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited. “It will be a modern, efficient, world-class nuclear lab to serve the needs of the Government of Canada and the Canadian nuclear industry – not only for today, but for decades into the future.
River campus will feature 12 new shielded hot cells that will enable post-irradiation examination of small modular reactor (SMR) and next-generation nuclear fuels in addition to glovebox facilities to support the development of advanced fuel fabrication concepts.
It’s one of a series of new laboratories, office buildings and support facilities that are being constructed at the Chalk River Laboratories to revitalize the campus.
Also, a Science Collaboration Centre is under construction that will serve as CNL’s central planning and collaboration space. A new two-storey industrial-use support facility and a new site entrance building were recently completed, and several science facilities have been opened in the last few years, including a new hydrogen laboratory complex, a new materials research laboratory and a new tritium laboratory.
Major investments have also been made into infrastructure improvements for the campus, including new domestic water and natural gas service, a modern sanitary sewage treatment facility and a system to more effectively manage storm water.