National Laboratory to Replace Aging Chalk River Reactor

MONTREAL, CANADA, May 19 (MARKET WIRE) --
The Canadian science community that uses the neutron beams produced by
the NRU reactor in Chalk River has released its plan to replace it with a
national laboratory.

"That the National Research Council asked us to produce our plan for the
proposed Canadian Neutron Centre (CNC) shows that this is being seriously
considered," said Dr. Ryan, CINS President.

Today, the Canadian Institute for Neutron Scattering (CINS) released its
description of this visionary facility summarized for non-scientists
online (www.cins.ca).

"We worked closely with fellow scientists from the Canadian Neutron Beam
Centre (CNBC) to produce this plan," said Dr. Ryan.

This national laboratory will surpass the NRU reactor in all three of the
aging reactor's missions. Those missions are (1) the production of
medical isotopes, (2) nuclear energy R&D, and (3) materials research
using neutron beams.

Completed in 1957, the NRU reactor has a long successful history. The CNC
will build on that success and take full advantage of advances in
technology and safety measures.

"The CNC will support a wide spectrum of basic research, and will also
contribute significantly to Canada's priority areas," said Dr. Ryan.

"To move forward, we need a government-mandated steering group that
reflects the vision for the CNC as national infrastructure for science
and industry. That vision is central: the CNC is not an issue of medical
isotopes, nor is it an issue of AECL's future. It's much broader than
that. The CNC is needed for the competitiveness of Canadian science and
industry for the next 50 years."

About CINS

CINS is composed of the Canadian scientific community of neutron beam
users. CINS was incorporated in 1989 and has over 400 members.

About CNBC

The CNBC is Canada's scientific hub for research using neutron beams as
probes of materials. Neutron beams are versatile tools that provide
unique information about materials with a broad range of applications
including health, energy, and environmental technologies.

A more
detailed press release is available (www.cins.ca).

Contacts:
SOURCE:
CINS

CONTACT:
CINS
Dr. Dominic Ryan, President
514-398-6534
dhryan@physics.mcgill.ca

To request copies of CINS' plan:
Dr. Daniel Banks (CNBC)
613-584-8298
Daniel.Banks@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca

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