Atomic Energy of Canada, Ltd
Atomic Energy of Canada, Ltd. (AECL) is a crown corporation established in 1952 by the Canadian government under Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent, aimed at centralizing nuclear operations and promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The formation of AECL was a response to the geopolitical climate of the Cold War, particularly following the Soviet Union's development of an atomic bomb in 1949, which heightened the nuclear arms race. Canada's own nuclear program began in the 1940s in collaboration with Great Britain, leading to significant advancements in nuclear technology. By 1951, Canada had already developed a radiation therapy for cancer that remains in use today. AECL took a pivotal role in developing nuclear reactors for electricity generation, with Ontario's first power from this source coming online in 1962. The corporation also established a research reactor in 1957. Throughout its history, AECL has represented the potential for harnessing nuclear power for peaceful purposes, emphasizing its role in promoting safety and innovation in nuclear technology.
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Atomic Energy of Canada, Ltd.
Identification State company in charge of Canada’s national nuclear program
Date Founded in 1952
The Atomic Energy of Canada, Ltd. (AECL) represented an effort by the Canadian government during the early years of the Cold War to ensure government control of the nuclear industry.
With the arrival of the Cold War and the acquisition of an atomic bomb by the Soviet Union in 1949, the nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union accelerated during the 1950’s. Canada found itself in a significant position with its own nuclear program, which had begun during the 1940’s in cooperation with Great Britain.
Wishing to ensure a monopoly over the nuclear industry and to centralize existing operations, the Canadian government of Prime MinisterLouis St. Laurent created a new crown (government) corporation, the AECL, in 1952. Explicit in its creation was that its mandate would be for the development of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
In 1951, Canada already had developed a unique radiation cancer therapy, still in use in the twenty-first century. That research also included the development of nuclear reactors for peaceful purposes. Beginning in 1954, the AECL took a leading role in developing a nuclear reactor to help generate electricity. In 1962, power from this source went online in the province of Ontario for the first time. It also developed a research reactor in 1957.
Impact
The AECL symbolized, especially in an era of heightened Cold War tensions, the possibility of the peaceful uses of nuclear power.
Bibliography
Bothwell, Robert. Eldorado: Canada’s National Uranium Company. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1984. Provides a history of Canada’s nuclear program.
Whitaker, Reg, and Steve Hewitt. Canada and the Cold War. Toronto: James Lorimer, 2003. Canada’s nuclear program is discussed in a Cold War context.