Canadian Nuclear Industry Welcomes OPG-Westinghouse Agreement

OTTAWA, April 17, 2014 /CNW/ - The Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA) today welcomed the announcement of a service agreement between Canadian Nuclear Partners and Westinghouse Electric Company.

"In choosing to work together, these leaders in innovation will reinforce the nuclear industry's contributions to Canada's knowledge economy," said Dr. John Barrett, CNA President and CEO.

"They clearly see that Canadian nuclear technology offers great potential to a world that seeks both energy security and low-carbon power generation."

Canadian Nuclear Partners, a subsidiary of Ontario Power Generation Inc., and Westinghouse yesterday announced an agreement to work together on a wide range of global nuclear projects.

The companies indicated a shared interest in refurbishment, maintenance and outage services, decommissioning and remediation of existing nuclear power plants, and new nuclear power plants.

Nuclear-generated electricity offers significant potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, nuclear energy closely matches wind-based and hydroelectric power generation as a low-carbon source of electricity.

Nuclear, hydro and wind all significantly outperform solar energy and the fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas.

Dr. Barrett added: "We are inevitably moving toward a much-reduced carbon economy. Through innovation, and through access to the global marketplace, the Canadian nuclear industry will help to mitigate the challenge of climate change while providing power that is safe, reliable and affordable."

The CNA represents 30,000 Canadian men and women who mine uranium, design and service reactors, fabricate fuel, generate electricity, advance nuclear medicine, support next-generation manufacturing, and export Canadian scientific and technological expertise.

SOURCE: Canadian Nuclear Association

Malcolm Bernard, Director of Communications, 613-237-4262 #110 or 613-612-0096 (mobile)