Ontario Construction News staff writer
Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) has signed partnership agreements for construction at the Chalk River Laboratories.
CNL President & CEO Joe McBrearty announced the agreements with AECOM Canada Nuclear Services, Aecon Nuclear, Bird Construction, Bird – Chandos CDP Joint Venture, ECC, ES Fox Limited and Tetra Tech Canada Joint Venture, Hatch Limited, Johnson Controls Canada, M. Sullivan & Son, Stantec Consulting, and WSP Canada.
“With a significant program of work on the horizon at the Chalk River Laboratories campus, it is critical that we have a reliable supply chain in place to safely deliver this work on time, on schedule, and according to the high expectations,” said McBrearty. “These agreements will facilitate improved engagement and relationships with our supply chain at a business-to-business level, which will strengthen our performance and the execution of the work.
“We can also leverage these agreements to prioritize the use of local suppliers and Indigenous businesses as part of our commitment to more sustainable operations.”
Fred Dermarkar, president of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), said that the quality of the supply chain is essential to the success of both CNL and AECL, which owns the Chalk River Laboratories.
“Reliable partners who can enable the site’s renewal and advance Indigenous reconciliation are key to CNL’s success in achieving its corporate strategy. I welcome these partnership agreements and look forward to the progress that we shall achieve together.”
Construction agreements prioritize use of local resources, hiring of local vendors that live and work in the Ottawa Valley, and the use of Indigenous contractors.
CNL will also require environmental stewardship and sustainability are integrated into all areas of the work, including the use of environmentally-friendly materials, practices and organizations.
Along with a 10-year capital program that includes construction of the Advanced Nuclear Materials Research Centre (ANMRC), CNL is launching a multi-billion dollar program of work including:
- site-wide infrastructure upgrades to improve energy performance
- a new facility to advance research related to nuclear medicine, radiopharmaceuticals, and low-dose radiation
- ongoing environmental remediation and restoration activities as part of the Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI); and
- construction of at least six major facilities representing over $2 billion
“CNL not only has a series of major projects poised to begin, but many of them are also concurrent, which means that we have to carefully plan and resource these projects if we want them to proceed efficiently,” said Brian Savage, CNL’s vice-president of capital projects. “These strategic delivery partnership agreements gives us long-term clarity on these projects, and cultivate stronger relationships with our supply chain, so we can ensure that they are being effectively managed.
“Overall, I think these agreements represent a more sophisticated and reliable supply chain strategy, and you will see that reflected in the delivery of the work.”
