The NRU reactor does not generate electricity. The knowledge it has generated over the years however has been essential in the development of the CANDU design of nuclear reactor. CANDUs are Canada's nuclear power stations. They generate electricity here in Canada, and have also been sold abroad to countries including Argentina, Korea and China.
Inside NRU a nuclear reaction occurs just like inside the large CANDU reactors. NRU however is a research tool. It contains testing equipment that allows scientists and engineers to put new fuels or materials into the reactor, and see how they behave.
Within the core of a nuclear reactor are conditions that exist nowhere else on earth. The great number of free neutrons created in the reaction affect materials in many ways. NRU is a unique facility in Canada providing knowledge that helps build more efficient, economic and safe nuclear power plants. That knowledge has been an essential part of building Canada's nuclear industry, which currently contributes $5 billion annually to the Canadian economy.