State-of-the-art Nuclear Research Facility Named for Canada's First Female Nuclear Physicist Opens at Chalk River

CHALK RIVER, ON, Oct. 19, 2016 /CNW/ - Canada's nuclear industry will play a key role in driving innovation and expanding Canada's clean energy mix as the world transitions toward a low-carbon economy.

Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Jim Carr, and Parliamentary Secretary Kim Rudd today officially opened a state-of-the-art nuclear research facility at the Chalk River Laboratories. The new building, named after Harriet Brooks, Canada's first female nuclear physicist, was inaugurated as Canada celebrates Women's History Month. Owned by Atomic Energy Canada Limited (AECL) and operated by Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), the Harriet Brooks Building will be a collaborative and interdisciplinary space for cutting-edge research and development in chemistry and materials.  

The new laboratory complex will feature unique facilities for testing a variety of materials and processes. Multi-disciplinary research involving about 85 scientists, engineers and support staff will be conducted in areas such as materials performance and corrosion and equipment decontamination. This research will help nuclear operators and regulators enhance safety and environmental protection, improve the performance of nuclear systems and respond to nuclear and non-nuclear energy challenges.   

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"We are at a pivotal time — when the world is making a historic transition to a lower-carbon future; when climate change is one of the great challenges of our generation; and when investing in clean technology and innovation is today's new imperative. The recent announcement of our government to invest $800 million in the revitalization of the laboratories at the Chalk River site will be key to advancing science and technology initiatives in Canada's world-class nuclear industry."

Jim Carr
Canada's Minister of Natural Resources

"Canadians recognize the Chalk River Laboratories as a leader in nuclear innovation and ingenuity – it is where Canada's nuclear power reactor technology was developed, and where nuclear medicine has been advanced. The state-of-the-art Harriet Brooks Building, named in honour of Canada's first female nuclear physicist, will only confirm Chalk River's well-deserved reputation in Canada and abroad."

Kim Rudd
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources

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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

Alexandre Deslongchamps, Office of the Minister of Natural Resources, 343-292-6837 ; Media Relations, Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, 343-292-6100