Canadian Nuclear Laboratories

CNL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AECL, operating under a government-owned, contractor-operated (GoCo) model. AECL owns the nuclear sites and liabilities while CNL manages and operates the laboratories day-to-day. AECL sets strategic direction and oversees the contract; CNL executes the mandate.

CNL receives multi-year capital commitments from the Government of Canada, administered through AECL. In May 2026, the government announced a $2.2 billion commitment for the Chalk River Laboratories renewal. An earlier $1.2 billion revitalization package was announced in 2017. These allocations fund infrastructure, decommissioning projects, and research programs.

CNL launched its SMR program in 2017 with a goal to site a demonstration unit at one of its managed campuses before 2030. The Chalk River Laboratories serve as a global hub for SMR vendors to test and validate designs. The program supports Canada's broader nuclear energy strategy by providing research facilities and regulatory-pathway expertise.

CNL leads several major environmental remediation projects. These include the Port Hope Area Initiative, the Near Surface Disposal Facility for low-level radioactive waste at Chalk River, and decommissioning of historic reactors such as the Nuclear Power Demonstration (NPD) site and the WR-1 reactor at Whiteshell. The Douglas Point team completed a major decommissioning milestone at Canada's first commercial power reactor in May 2026.

Yes. CNL opened the National Innovation Centre for Cybersecurity in Fredericton, New Brunswick, in 2018. The facility focuses on protecting reactor and industrial control systems. In May 2026, CNL and Sandia National Laboratories conducted a first-of-its-kind blended cyber and physical attack exercise at Sandia's mock reactor site in New Mexico, part of a US-Canada collaboration that began in 2021.

CNL launched a program in 2019 to advance production and understanding of actinium-225, a rare isotope used in targeted alpha therapy for cancer. The organization has a decades-long history in medical isotope production, dating to AECL's production of Cobalt-60 in 1952, which was first used for cancer treatment by teams in London, Ontario and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

CNL's primary campus is the Chalk River Laboratories in Ontario, which contains more than 50 unique facilities including several licensed nuclear reactors. Additional sites include Whiteshell Laboratories in Manitoba and offices in Fredericton, New Brunswick; Mississauga, Ontario; and Montreal, Quebec. The Douglas Point reactor site on the Bruce Peninsula is an active decommissioning project.