Canadian Nuclear Association

Thank you so much to Cameco Corporation, McMaster University, BWXT Canada Ltd, Nuclear Waste Management Organization, and Aecon Group Inc. for being great hosts when the CNA staff visited their facilities last week. Our CNA team had the great opportunity to meet and talk to the many men and women who have dedicated their lives and ingenuity to making Canada's nuclear energy industry one of the best in the world. Our team learned so much, and we are so proud of the many innovations and nuclear technologies developed in Canada!

It's with great satisfaction that we conclude another successful CNA and NEI 4th Canada-U.S. Nuclear Energy Forum in Washington, D.C. We sincerely thank our Nuclear Energy Institute colleagues who hosted the event this year in D.C. The CNA and NEI Nuclear Forum, which enables a strategic discussion between our respective industry representatives and the two governments, is a key tool for enabling Canada and the United States to meet common climate and energy security goals.  This year, we were honoured to have had key Canadian and U.S. Government representation and participation. This includes White House Senior Advisor to the President for Energy and Investment, the Honorable Amos Hochstein, White House Assistant Director for Nuclear Technology and Strategy, Rian Bahran, Commissioner of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, David A. Wright, and officials from the U.S. Department of Energy, Deputy Chief of Staff, John Krohn, Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Cooperation Billy Valderrama, Acting Assistant Secretary Michael Goff, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategic Crosscuts, Alice Caponiti, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Fuel Cycle, Jon Carmack, and Senior Advisor, Office of Nuclear Energy Office of Nuclear Fuel Cycle, Mary Gillespie. The Canadian representations included Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Ontario Energy Minister Stephen Lecce, NRCAN Director General Frédéric Beauregard-Tellier, Assistant Deputy Minister of NRCAN Debbie Scharf, Acting Chief Executive Officer of CNSC Ramzi Jammal, Global Affairs Canada Nuclear Senior Advisor and Specialist, Tanya Hinton, and NWMO VP of Communications, Lisa Frizzell. We thank both governments for their commitment and productive dialogue, especially following the renewal of the bilateral Canada-U.S. Energy Transformation Task Force (ETTF). We also want to thank CNA members Aecon Group Inc., AtkinsRéalis, Bruce Power, BWXT Canada Ltd, Cameco Corporation, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, CANDU Owners Group, Centrus Energy Corp., EnergySolutions, Framatome, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Holtec International, Kinectrics, MZ Consulting, Énergie NB Power, Ontario Power Generation, Westinghouse Electric Company, and X-energy Canada for their attendance, valuable expertise, and unwavering support during this event. The participation of Federal and Provincial governments, industry and trade associations has been  invaluable in furthering Canada-U.S. alignment on critical issues such as enabling finance and investments, expanding supply chains, building fuel supply, workforce development, and standardizing regulations and licensing. The forum not only served to strengthen the collaboration between the Canadian and American nuclear sectors but also emphasized the ongoing efforts and contributions of the partners of the Sapporo 5 Agreement.

George Christidis is the Vice President of International Affairs at the Canadian Nuclear Association. In this conversation, George paints the national and international landscape of the Canadian Nuclear industry. With the launch of new nuclear projects domestically, as well as collaborative pursuits with countries across the world, George provides relevant insights on advancements taking place in the areas of SMR's, waste management, medical isotopes, investment strategies and energy security. 🎙 Spotify Link: https://lnkd.in/guvBR6cp 📽Full Podcast Video Here: https://lnkd.in/giXC-hp2 https://lnkd.in/giXC-hp2 #nuclear #nuclearenergy #cleanenergy #climatechange #nuclearpower #energy #cleanenergy #climatechange #sustainability #canada

The Fourth Annual Canada-U.S. Nuclear Energy Forum in Washington, DC featured high-level participation from both Canadian and U.S. government representatives, including Canada's Deputy Prime Minister, emphasizing the importance of this bilateral cooperation. Key highlights: The forum underscores the critical role of nuclear energy in addressing climate change and ensuring energy security for both nations. Canada reaffirms its commitment to the nuclear industry, recognizing its potential for economic growth and job creation. The event showcases the ongoing collaboration through the Canada-U.S. Energy Transformation Task Force, focusing on clean energy initiatives and reinforcing critical supply chains. Canadian leadership reiterated the government's dedication to advancing shared clean energy goals and strengthening bilateral relations in the nuclear sector.

Great news and congratulations to the Township of Ignace for this historical milestone.

"Though there's a lot to do, Ontario is laying good groundwork for a major nuclear power buildup," said George Christidis, the Canadian Nuclear Association's Vice-President of Government Relations and International Affairs, in this article for The Logic which covers Ontario's new Energy Minister Stephen Lecce’s appointment to the role and the challenges ahead of him. Click on the link below to read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gBu6k4dw #NuclearEnergy #CleanEnergy #EnergyPolicy

According to today's Globe and Mail article, skilled nuclear energy workers are not just in demand, they are highly sought after. https://lnkd.in/gDQ3TbR6 Explore Nuclear Jobs Canada and build a career with plenty of opportunities for growth and development that also rewards your skills with competitive pay and benefits. 

Last week at the Athens Energy Summit, I had the opportunity to participate in discussions on the vital role of clean energy technologies, including nuclear, in achieving climate and energy security goals for Greece, and beyond Balkan countries. Canada is a tier one nuclear energy country which has a strong Candu energy heritage , strong nuclear supply chain , key strategic provider of nuclear fuel and uranium , strong nuclear management waste today and in future planning , strong nuclear lab, innovation systems and nuclear university networks. Energy security is becoming increasingly important in today's complex geopolitical landscape. I was encouraged by the recent statement from the Prime Minister of Greece considering a stronger role for nuclear energy in Europe. I look forward to further opportunities to engage in this important dialogue. #AthensEnergySummit #CleanEnergy #NuclearPower #EnergySecurity #Geopolitics

According to today's Globe and Mail article, skilled nuclear energy workers are not just in demand, they are highly sought after. https://lnkd.in/gDQ3TbR6 Explore Nuclear Jobs Canada and build a career with plenty of opportunities for growth and development that also rewards your skills with competitive pay and benefits. 

Calling all power sector experts! Over the course of the next few weeks, I will be releasing a series of thought-pieces on the opportunities and challenges accompanying Canada’s ambition to build computing infrastructure to support the growth of #artificialintelligence. The federal government needs our advice as it begins a consultation on the future of #AI, so I hope you will engage with me on this rapidly emerging topic. While the hype around AI is reaching unprecedented levels and the future of this technology is far from certain, what we can be sure of is that countries that are prepared for this emerging technology are the ones that will benefit the most. I’m encouraged that the federal government last week launched a consultation on its proposed, “Canadian AI Sovereign Compute Strategy”, in a first step in coming to terms with how we’re going to compete globally in this emerging field.   For now, Canada is an attractive host jurisdiction for new data centers thanks to a low-carbon grid and AI expertise, and I’m pleased to see the government acknowledge that existing competitive advantage. However, what they have failed to acknowledge is the question of how we will be able to maintain this advantage in coming years with what we expect will be unprecedented growth of the power-hungry infrastructure needed to power AI computations.   We have the “right stuff” to be a prominent player in this emerging space, but it will take thoughtful policy planning, business innovation, and strong engagement with the power sector to match our ambitious electrification goals while meeting this massive growth in demand for data centres.