CANDU technology

All of Canada's nuclear stations use CANDU technology, developed by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.

Canada has 22 CANDU nuclear reactors, two of which are in a safe shutdown state. There are another 12 CANDU reactors in China, South Korea, Argentina, Romania, India and Pakistan.

All CANDU reactors heat water which produces steam in the steam generator. This steam spins a large turbo generator which produces electricity.

Powerful facts about CANDU

Ontario Power Generation's Pickering B Unit 7 reactor holds the world record for the longest, non-stop operation – 894 days, achieved in 1994.

The top lifetime performance by a CANDU reactor is held by the Wolsong 4 reactor in South Korea, with a capacity factor of 97.3 per cent. The top annual performance for a CANDU reactor in 2008 was achieved by Ontario Power Generation's Darlington 3 reactor, with a capacity factor of 99.4 per cent.

Canada's nuclear stations avoid the potential emission of about 90 million tonnes of greenhouse gases per year (if coal-fired power, the most economic alternative, was used instead). This emissions avoidance is equivalent to the greenhouse gases produced by 18 million vehicles - or about 12% of Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions. Using nuclear power also means we avoid the emission of an additional 10% on top of our current emissions of smog-producing gases.