16 May (NucNet): Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) is to discontinue development work of the MAPLE reactors at its Chalk River Laboratories in Ontario, effective immediately.
The company said in a statement that the decision was based on a series of reviews that considered, among other things, the costs of further development, as well as the time and risks involved with continuing the project.
“We are making the right business decision given the circumstances,” said AECL’s president and chief executive officer Hugh MacDiarmid.
AECL said the decision to discontinue development of the MAPLE reactors will not have any impact on the current supply of medical isotopes because commercial agreements between radioisotope technology company MDS Nordion and AECL provide for isotope production to continue through AECL’s National Research Universal (NRU) reactor and associated facilities at Chalk River.
NRU has an operating site licence from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) until 31 October 2011. AECL said it will work closely with the CNSC and MDS Nordion on the requirements for continued production beyond that date.
AECL was contracted to build the MAPLE reactors for MDS Nordion. The two pool-type reactors would have been the world’s first – and first privately owned – reactors dedicated only to medical isotope production.
>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)
Licence Renewal For Canada’s MAPLE Reactors (News No. 184, 6 December 2005)
