AtkinsRéalis aiming to deploy first reactor around 2034-2035
The construction of a four-unit Candu Monark nuclear power station In Canada would create thousands of jobs while adding CAD29.1 billion (€19.8bn, $21.2bn) in additional tax revenue across municipal, provincial and federal governments over the life of the project, AtkinsRéalis has said.
The company said a study had shown that the manufacturing, engineering, and construction phase of four Candu Monark units would generate more than CAD40.9bn of GDP impact for Canada and equivalent to over 20,000 full time, well-paying jobs and over 324,000 person-years of employment, as well as an additional CAD49.5bn of GDP impact during the operation phase.
The four-unit power station will sustain 3,500 full-time equivalent jobs per year over its 70-plus year operating life, the company said.
AtkinsRéalis, a Montreal-based nuclear technology and engineering company, told NucNet it is aiming to deploy its first Monark nuclear plant in Canada by about 2034-2035 and is already ramping up human capacity and eyeing markets as far afield as South America, Asia and Australia.
Candu reactor technology was developed in Canada in the 1950s and 1960s by a partnership that included AECL. According to the Canadian Nuclear Association’s website, there are 34 Candu plants globally, 30 of which are operable. Nineteen of those plants are in Canada with the rest in Argentina, China, India, Pakistan, Romania and South Korea.
AtkinsRéalis announced the new Candu Monark nuclear reactor design last year saying it meets the dual demands of net zero and energy security while ensuring Candu technology remains “front and centre” amid growing interest in nuclear energy around the world as part of the clean energy transition.
The company said large-scale nuclear reactors are increasingly sought-after by utilities and governments as they look to decarbonise power grids, produce stable baseload power that is not weather-dependent and increase energy security.
