SNC-Lavalin and Third Qinshan Nuclear Power Company sign agreement to implement 37M fuel

MONTREAL, Aug. 7, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - SNC-Lavalin (TSX: SNC) has signed an engineering service contract and a licensing agreement with China's Third Qinshan Nuclear Power Company Limited (TQNPC) to implement 37M Natural Uranium Equivalent (NUE) fuel, a mixture of depleted and recycled uranium, in Qinshan's CANDU® reactors Units 1 and 2. SNC-Lavalin's work under the contract includes design definition, design verification, update of reactor nuclear design and safety case, regulatory support and licensing. The contract is valued at over CAD $12 million.

"The landmark agreement between SNC-Lavalin and TQNPC will see the 37M fuel technology put into commercial use outside of Canada for the first time and takes advantage of the ample supply of depleted and recycled uranium in China," said Sandy Taylor, President, Nuclear, SNC-Lavalin. "A step closer to closing the fuel cycle, 37M technology enables better use of alternate fuels in existing CANDU reactors. The two Qinshan CANDU reactors are already two of the best performing reactors in China and adding 37M NUE fuel further improves their ability to continue to deliver that high performance."

The development of 37M fuel in Ontario was a collaboration between OPG (Ontario Power Generation) - the originator of the 37M design and its CANDU industry partners in the CANDU Owners Group to perform important testing and technology development. OPG's subsidiary Canadian Nuclear Partners licensed the 37M design to SNC-Lavalin which facilitated collaboration and further development by SNC-Lavalin, the original designer of the CANDU reactors used in China and around the world. This work contributes towards a version of the 37M fuel bundle design for use in those reactors. The first-ever fuel bundle to test the use of recycled uranium from light water reactors was successfully demonstrated in Qinshan Unit 1 in 2010.

About SNC-Lavalin

Founded in 1911, SNC-Lavalin is a global fully integrated professional services and project management company and a major player in the ownership of infrastructure. From offices around the world, SNC-Lavalin's employees are proud to build what matters. Our teams provide comprehensive end-to-end project solutions ? including capital investment, consulting, design, engineering, construction, sustaining capital and operations and maintenance ? to clients across oil and gas, mining and metallurgy, infrastructure, clean power, nuclear and EDPM (engineering design and project management). On July 3, 2017, SNC-Lavalin acquired Atkins, one of the world's most respected design, engineering and project management consultancies, which has been integrated into our sectors. www.snclavalin.com

About CANDU® technology
SNC-Lavalin is the steward of Canadian-designed CANDU® reactor technology. CANDU reactors are fuelled with natural uranium and use heavy water as a moderator. Internationally, they are an important component of low-carbon clean air energy programs on four continents with over 22,000 megawatts of installed capacity. CANDU reactors are fuel-flexible, capable of using natural uranium for fuel or advanced fuels like recycled uranium and thorium, as are being developed for use in countries such as China.

SOURCE SNC-Lavalin