Bruce unit 7 has become the first nuclear power reactor in the world with installed capability to produce the medical radioisotope lutetium-177. The isotope, which is used in the treatment of cancers such as neuroendocrine tumours and prostate cancer, will be produced from ytterbium targets irradiated in the reactor.

Bruce Power's Major Component Replacement project is helping contribute to economic revitalisation in Ontario, the company said today as it announced new contracts and manufacturing milestones with its partners in the province. These include the completion of calandria tube manufacturing for unit 3; a new contract to automate the installation of the tubes; and a contract for the replacement of steam generators at Bruce 3 and 4.

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has amended the uranium mine and mill licence held by Orano Canada Inc allowing it to expand the JEB tailings management facility at McClean Lake.

Canada's electricity system is amongst the cleanest in the world, thanks to hydro and nuclear power, a policy review by the International Energy Agency has found. Launching the report on 13 January, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol praised Canada's leadership in the development of small modular reactors and expressed the agency's support for the Canadian government's "ambitious" clean energy transition.

A prototype system for General Fusion's Fusion Demonstration Plant has successfully demonstrated a critical element of the Canadian company's proprietary Magnetised Target Fusion technology.

Canada's Nuclear Waste Management Organisation has released two planning documents that address the wide range of priorities, questions and concerns heard to date from Canadians and Indigenous peoples about the transportation of used nuclear fuel.

Enough cobalt-60 to sterilise 10 billion items of medical equipment was recently shipped from unit 7 at Canada's Bruce nuclear power plant. Meanwhile, a new production base for medical radioisotopes is being set up at the Qinshan Phase III nuclear power plant in China.

The last of eight replacement steam generators has been lifted into place at Bruce unit 6, marking an important milestone in the ongoing Major Component Replacement project which will add 30-35 years to the Candu unit's operational life.

The government of Canada has announced support for Indigenous communities in exploring the potential of small modular reactors to provide emissions-free energy for a wide range of applications, including electricity generation in remote communities. Meanwhile, X-energy Canada is to collaborate with First Nations representatives to build Indigenous capacity in the future advanced SMR industry.

Ontario Power Generation has selected the BWRX-300 small modular reactor for the Darlington new nuclear site, and will work with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy to deploy the reactor. Canada's first commercial, grid-scale, SMR could be completed as early as 2028.

The disassembly phase of Ontario Power Generation's refurbishment of Darlington unit 3 has now been completed and the reassembly phase has begun, the company said yesterday. The disassembly of the reactor included the world's first use of a combined pressure and calandria tube removal technique. Separately, an automated process to install and inspect calandria tubes is to be used in the refurbishment of Bruce Power's Bruce 3 in another industry 'first'.

Canada's Nuclear Waste Management Organization has completed borehole drilling work at Ignace, which is being studied as a possible host area for a deep geological repository for Canada's used nuclear fuel. Some 6 km of rock has been retrieved during the four-year drilling programme.