AECL, Bechtel Forge Closer Ties on Advanced CANDU Reactor

    WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Atomic Energy of Canada
 Limited (AECL) and Bechtel today announced they will work together on the
 deployment of the Advanced CANDU Reactor(TM) (ACR(TM)).
     AECL President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Van Adel and Bechtel
 Nuclear President James Reinsch said that AECL and Bechtel will establish a
 project team in Bechtel's Frederick, Maryland, office for the deployment of
 the ACR in the United States. According to Van Adel, the agreement combines
 AECL's expertise as an innovative technology developer and international
 project manager with Bechtel's premier engineering and project management
 skills.
     The ACR is an evolutionary design based on AECL's well-proven 700-megawatt
 class CANDU nuclear power plant. It features light-water coolant, heavy-water
 moderator, and slightly enriched fuel. The ACR represents a competitive
 package geared to a 36-month construction schedule. It currently is in
 preapplication review with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and has a
 parallel licensing track with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.
     Reinsch stated that "AECL and Bechtel have had a successful project with
 the construction of two CANDU 6 reactors at the Qinshan Phase III site in
 China. The new ACR agreement is as a logical extension of this relationship."
 First electricity has been generated by one unit in China and both units will
 go on line in 2003. The project is on budget and ahead of schedule.
 
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SOURCE  Bechtel