December 1, 2010Restructuring “a journey of years”?by Terry MyersIt may be longer than many might hope before all the pieces are in place for the future of the Chalk River Laboratories. Dr. Robert Walker is the new senior vice-president in charge of Atomic Energy of Canada's nuclear labs. He spoke last week at the final meeting of the outgoing Renfrew County council, eight days after taking over his new role. While the federal government announced its intention to restructure AECL 18 months ago, Walker said the focus up until now has been the sale of the company's commercial Candu business. The government is now “well down the path” on that first stage, and while it's “a little unpredictable” when a decision will be announced, it's anticipated that it will be “coming in the next days, months or weeks,” he said. As far as the nuclear laboratories go however, government officials are only now “seeking a mandate” from the prime minister's office and cabinet to explore the options for the future, Walker said. That mandate is expected to be approved in early 2011. How long it will take to get from there to an end result - a redefined mission and new management structure - “it would be inappropriate for me to speculate,” Walker said. But “we can draw some insight” from other international jusrisdictions where research labs have gone through a similar process, he added. “The experience in other jurisdictions is that this is a journey of years,” he said. Among the questions that need to be answered are not only how the new mission of the labs will be defined, but what is the appropriate level of government support and the right balance of private investment. “These are complex issues. They will take time to resolve,” Walker said. At the same time, the federal government has been a “strong and reliable” partner and shareholder in AECL for the past 60 years, “and continues to be so today,” he said. The budget for the labs is $500 million a year and “significant investments” have been made in keeping the NRU reactor operating. Between those investments and the expertise of the team at Chalk River, the research reactor is in “as good a condition” as it has been for some time - “the best in the last decade and probably in the last 20 years,” Walker said. While NRU, and the Chalk River site as a whole, will come up for a five-year re-licensing next year, “we are working hard to ensure (the reactor) can be licensed beyond that,” he said. Walker said that last week's release of Ontario's long-term energy plan is “good news indeed” for AECL and the future of the nuclear industry in Canada. The province announced that it will continue to rely on nuclear power to provide the baseload of Ontario's energy supply, including the construction of two new power reactors at the Darlington site. “The commitment by Ontario to a nuclear future provides an absolutely strong base for not only the commercial operations but also, I believe, the labs,” Walker said. “With that foundation, the opportunity to invest in nuclear research is very compelling... “There is reason to invest in CRNL and we will work to make sure that story is told.” Dr. Walker joined AECL officially on November 15. He comes to the company from the federal Department of National Defence, where he was assistant deputy minister of science and technology and chief executive officer of Defence Research and Development Canada. |
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