Nuclear Resonance: McMaster and Canadian Nuclear Society kick off new lecture series

McMaster was thrilled to host the first installment in a new lecture series that’s sparking discussions on key issues in nuclear science, technology and policy.

Nuclear Resonance is hosted by McMaster University in partnership with the Canadian Nuclear Society (CNS) – Golden Horseshoe Chapter.

Nearly 100 nuclear professionals, researchers and students attended the kickoff lecture, which focused on Canada’s case for nuclear fuel enrichment.  

The event marked the public release of a new whitepaper that brings together policy, industry and technical perspectives to unpack the real issues surrounding enrichment in Canada.

The co-authors of the whitepaper presented their findings, which consider how enrichment fits into the broader context of national energy security, industrial competitiveness, safeguards and public trust.

Josef Freundorfer, President of Nuclear Potential Canada, guided attendees through the background and context of the paper.

“There is a growing global demand for nuclear energy. Very few countries in the world have the resources, expertise and technology that Canada does in nuclear. This paper considers what future enrichment demands might look like, and what role Canada could play in the global supply and demand for enrichment,” he said.

Jeremy Whitlock, former Senior Technical Advisor at the International Atomic Energy Agency, discussed safeguards and regulation and Alexander MacDonald, AVP of Federal Advocacy at Counsel Public Affairs, touched on the national and international policies related to nuclear enrichment.

A panel discussion brought two of the co-authors into conversation with Arjan Bos, Senior Advisor of Advanced Fuels at Urenco, Dale Austin, Director of Government Relations at Cameco, and Demilade Fayemiwo, Director of Policy at the Canadian Nuclear Association.

They considered critical questions about enrichment. What domestic demand does Canada have for enriched nuclear fuel? What are the non-proliferation implications? What role could Canada play in a rapidly shifting global fuel supply landscape?

John Preston, McMaster’s associate vice-president, nuclear (acting) thanked the presenters for sharing their insights and noted the importance of hosting dialogues like Nuclear Resonance.

“The release of this white paper presents a timely discussion that brings together perspectives on Canada’s case for enrichment. We’re excited to kick off this lecture series with this topic and consider how we can think and strategize collectively around critical issues in nuclear,” he said.

Nuclear at McMaster and CNS thank our sponsors Nuclear Potential Canada and Counsel Public Affairs for supporting this event.