Candu Energy begins planning for Monark pre-licensing design review

AtkinsRéalis company Candu Energy Inc has announced it is entering into a special project with Canadian nuclear regulators to plan for a Pre-Licensing Design Review of the new Candu Monark reactor's suitability to be licensed and built in Canada.

The 1000 MW Candu Monark, a Generation III+ reactor with the highest output of any Candu technology, was unveiled in November 2023. The conceptual design phase of the reactor was completed in September, and AtkinsRéalis plans to complete the preliminary engineering by 2027.

"Reactor development is a key differentiator for us as we have the exclusive licence to deploy one of only a few large reactor technologies available worldwide, and so we have extensive experience navigating the nuclear licensing process in Canada," said Joe St Julian, AtkinsRéalis President, Nuclear. "As the world enters a nuclear market super-cycle with estimated demand for 1,000 new reactor builds, we remain on track to complete the Candu Monark's design by 2027, positioning the first Candu Monark new build to begin as early as 2029 and be completed by the mid-2030s."

The special project will familiarise Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) staff with the design and allow them to provide feedback on what will be needed in a future pre-licensing design review.

The CNSC's optional vendor design review (VDR) process enables CNSC staff to provide feedback to a vendor early on in the design process. Such a review aims to verify, at a high level, that Canadian nuclear regulatory requirements and expectations, as well as Canadian codes and standards, will be met as well as helping identify, and potentially resolve, any fundamental barriers to licensing for a new design in Canada. AtkinsRéalis said it believes completion of a VDR was an added measure that offers predictability to a purchasing utility.

A typical VDR includes three phases, but since the Candu Monark's design heavily leverages the platform of past Candu reactor models which have fully completed all three phases of the regulator's VDR, as well as those that have already been licensed and built, the company said it has asked the CNSC to consider two possible types of pre-licensing design review: either a VDR, or a preliminary regulatory design assessment.

The special project between the CNSC and AtkinsRéalis will see the regulator's experts develop a schedule and estimate for both a VDR and a preliminary regulatory design assessment, reflecting the impact of the range of improvements and modernisations made to Candu Monark technology, their variance to past Candu designs that have already gone through all three VDR phases, and any relevant changes to regulatory requirements and expectations.

"AtkinsRéalis will then be able to evaluate which of these pathways will be most suitable in supporting the Candu Monark design programme, with the goal of seeking rigorous review and feedback on the Candu Monark's design in support of ensuring that any eventual Candu Monark new build project can be undertaken with confidence in the licensing costs and timeline," the company said.