The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) said it has completed Phase 2 of a Pre-Project Design Review of Candu Energy Inc.’s 700 MW, Generation III Enhanced CANDU 6 (EC6) reactor. The CNSC has concluded that there are no fundamental barriers to licensing the EC6 design in Canada.
The CNSC said the objective of a Pre-Project Design Review is to verify, at a high level, the acceptability of a nuclear power plant design with respect to Canadian regulatory requirements and expectations. In Phase 2, the focus was on identifying any potential fundamental barriers to licensing the EC6 design in Canada.
The positive conclusion follows the earlier Phase 1 Pre-Project Design Review of the EC6, which was completed by the CNSC in 2010.
The Pre-Project Design Review opens up opportunities for international CANDU sales, by serving as the reference for other regulators to accelerate licensing in their countries.
Phase 3 of the Pre-Project Design Review will allow Candu to provide the CNSC with further information requested in Phase 2, particularly completion of the research and development program and the resolution of some findings and technical clarifications, including Candu’s response to the Fukushima event.
Candu is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SNC-Lavalin Inc. (TSX: SNC).
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