Canada's Nuclear Industry Aligned for Growth in 2012

OTTAWA, Feb. 24, 2012 /CNW/ - Canada's nuclear industry is poised for future growth and prosperity, according to discussions at the Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA) Annual Conference and Trade Show in Ottawa.

"Canada's nuclear industry is as strong as ever," said Denise Carpenter, President and Chief Executive Officer, CNA. "Over the past few days, we have had great discussions on how our industry is leveraging lessons learned from Fukushima and how innovations in research and technology can improve and grow nuclear in Canada and abroad."

More than 650 delegates from the nuclear community attended the conference, themed 'Leadership Through Innovation.'

Tom Mitchell, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ontario Power Generation (OPG), provided an overview of the progress made by the World Association of Nuclear Operators Fukushima Response Commission and discussed groundbreaking methods of communicating risk and nuclear safety.

"We are not ignoring the lessons we learned from Fukushima," said Mitchell. "Safety, despite our industry's excellent track record, can never be taken for granted."

OPG has almost a dozen Fukushima-related projects underway or planned for implementation between now and the end of 2016.

Underscoring the industry's growth, the Honourable Rob Norris, Saskatchewan's Minister Responsible for Innovation, announced a multi-year agreement to provide funding for the new $30 million Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation.

Other conference highlights included a keynote speech by Patrick Lamarre on the future opportunities for SNC‐Lavalin Nuclear following their recent acquisition of the CANDU Reactor Division of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, and the presentation of the annual Ian McRae Award to Mr. Gerald (Jerry) Grandey, former chief executive officer of Cameco Corporation.

Conference highlights, including links to videos from speaker sessions, can be found on Twitter @talkNUclear and #cnagm2012

Kathleen Olson
Director of Communications
Canadian Nuclear Association [email protected] 

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