June 29, 2015
Ottawa
Natural Resources Canada
The Honourable Greg Rickford, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United Kingdom (U.K.) on nuclear energy cooperation. This MOU will help position Canada’s nuclear industry to capture opportunities in the growing U.K. nuclear energy market.
The U.K. Nuclear Industrial Strategy calls for the construction of at least 12 new nuclear power plants to produce 16 gigawatts-electric by 2030 to replace its existing fleet and to help meet projected growth in demand. The MOU will provide benefits to a wide array of stakeholders in the nuclear energy industry in both Canada and the U.K., including small and medium-sized enterprises, by facilitating stronger industry-to-industry connections and encouraging collaborative work between laboratories and university research networks.
The MOU follows through on the commitment for increased cooperation in the field of nuclear energy that was highlighted in the updated 2014 Prime Ministerial Canada–U.K. Joint Declaration. The MOU was signed in London today by Canada’s High Commissioner to the U.K. and the Director of the Office for Nuclear Development in the U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change.
The MOU will reinforce work already underway on feasibility studies related to the disposal of U.K. plutonium, and it will provide a framework to assess the development of power generation based on alternative nuclear fuels.
Greg Rickford
Minister of Natural Resources
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