The National Research Universal (NRU) research reactor, operated by the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) at Chalk River was shut down on March 31, 2018. The decision to shut down the reactor was made by the government of Canada in February 2015. While announcing its intent to close the reactor, the government approved its operations in standby mode since 31 October 2016 "to help support global medical isotope demand between 2016 and 2018 in the unexpected circumstances of shortages."