Saskatoon StarPhoenix Staff
While continuing its push on a nuclear small modular reactor project, SaskPower is also moving forward with plans to formally evaluate large nuclear reactor technology for use in Saskatchewan.
The Crown corporation this week announced the start of the process, which it says “will take place in parallel” with the small modular reactor (SMR) project near Estevan that is currently in its own planning stages.
“Potentially bringing a large reactor online will take at least 15 to 20 years, which is why we need to start this process now,” SaskPower president and CEO Rupen Pandya said on Wednesday.
SaskPower expects the SMR near Estevan to break ground in 2029 and be operational in 2034. The province noted that “significant additional regulatory work, settling on a location and engagement are all needed before construction begins.
A site near Estevan — which will be the province’s first SMR build — is expected sometime this year.
“Our energy security strategy sets out a pathway to nuclear power generation from both SMRs and large nuclear reactors, using Saskatchewan uranium,” Minister Responsible for SaskPower, Jeremy Harrison, said in a prepared statement on Wednesday in Saskatoon.
“Together with expanded intertie (high-voltage lines that link electrical grids) capacity, nuclear power will make Saskatchewan an export powerhouse and safeguard Saskatchewan’s energy security far into the future.”
Earlier this month, the federal and provincial governments announced nearly $7 million in combined funding that will allow Saskatchewan researchers to design and test nuclear technology at a Saskatchewan facility.
The funding partners announced investment in the Small Modular Reactor Safety, Licensing, and Testing Centre (SMR-SLT Centre), which will be located at the Innovation Saskatchewan Research and Technology Park facilities on the University of Regina campus.
The nuclear centre, once completed, would be the first of its kind in Western Canada. Researchers at the facility are expected to design, develop and license SMR technology while also training workers in a controlled environment.
At the U of R announcement, Harrison said the new centre will lay groundwork for the nuclear energy opportunities and help Saskatchewan achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The first SMR is expected to produce 315 megawatts, while the current coal-burning Boundary Dam Power Station generates 531 megawatts.
In addition to Estevan, the Elbow area was also considered for the province’s first SMR.
In recent years, SaskPower has taken steps toward the construction of an SMR in Saskatchewan. That includes joining the CANDU Owners Group (COG), which consists of groups operating CANDU (Canada Deuterium Uranium) reactors around the world.
— With files from Saskatoon StarPhoenix and Regina Leader-Post
