ACR-1000 achieves important milestone in pre-project design review

MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO - The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has completed Phase 1 of a Pre Project Design Review of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited's (AECL) Advanced CANDU Reactor (ACR-1000). The conclusion is that, at the high level, the ACR-1000 design is compliant with Canadian regulations.

With completion of Phase 1, the CNSC has begun Phase 2 of the two-step Pre-Project Design Review.

"The CNSC has determined in this preliminary stage of their review that the ACR-1000 is a robust reactor design," says AECL President and CEO Hugh MacDiarmid. "We welcome this news as business activity to build new nuclear reactor plants continues to surge around the world, including interest in the CANDU(R) design."

The objective of a Pre-Project Design review is to verify, at a high level, the acceptability of a nuclear reactor design with respect to Canadian safety requirements and criteria. This includes the identification of fundamental barriers to licensing a new reactor design in Canada.