Programmes and agreements / prg-ca-dnd-aecl-northern-microreactor-feasibility

Canada's National Defence and AECL joint feasibility programme on Canadian-controlled microreactors for the North (2026)

In April 2026 Canada's energy minister announced a joint feasibility programme with the Department of National Defence and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited to assess Canadian-controlled microreactor technology for the North, with DND investing over CAD40 million that fiscal year. The June 2026 national strategy sets an objective to demonstrate a Canadian-controlled Generation IV microreactor by 2035 to support defence facilities. No design, vendor or site has been named.

Not a deployment project. SMR plans, agreements, studies and government programmes that are not (yet) a single deployment project. They are listed separately and are never counted as projects or reactors.

Type

Government programme

Countries concerned

Canada

Participants and roles

• Government: Department of National Defence
• Government: Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
• Government: Natural Resources Canada

Designs named

—

Scale as stated

DND investing over CAD40 million in the 2026-27 fiscal year (as stated: "this fiscal year")

Announced or first reported

Apr 2026

Status

Active
Feasibility assessment, no design, vendor, site or reactor selected.

Confidence

medium

Last checked

2026-10-14 (record review date, not proof of current activity)

Related deployment projects

• No related deployment project is recorded here.

Sources

• Canada announces new nuclear strategy and microreactor initiative (reputable_press, published 30 Apr 2026, accessed 2026-10-14)
• Nuclear Energy Strategy for Canada (government_primary, published 22 Jun 2026, accessed 2026-10-14)