COUNTRY REPORT | CANADA
V anyone think this SMR focus means CANDU is forgotten, Bill Fox head of SNC-Lavalin’s Canadian nuclear operations and CEO of its Candu Energy division said otherwise in a March 3rd interview with Energy Intelligence. “In fact, we’ve been planning a new build CANDU for
years, and we never stopped planning,” he said. “We’ve been developing our technology since the acquisition of the commercial operations of AECL and looking at advanced reactor designs… designs that are more economical, that are built with digital tools and reducing valves and making components more passive than active, with (no) operator interventions required.” What’s needed to move forward, he says, is a buyer.
Given the needed scale of new low-carbon power to meet
Canada’s legislated goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, many believe it is just a matter of time before the next large-scale procurement begins. For example, even in Ontario, with one of the lowest-carbon electricity grids in the world, the electricity system operator’s recent demand forecast calls for an additional 17,800 MW of nuclear by 2050 in part, for electrification of the province’s transportation and heating needs, currently dependent on oil and gas. And here enters a possible new twist. Canadian-owned
Cameco, one of the world’s largest suppliers of nuclear fuel with end-to-end services from mining to processing, announced in October 2022 that it was partnering with another Canadian energy powerhouse, Brookfield Renewables, to acquire Westinghouse Electric. In addition to strengthening Cameco’s dominance in fuel, including HALEU capability for SMRs, it also means Cameco and Brookfield Renewables will have ownership of the AP1000 and e-Vinci micro reactor designs, the latter of which is actively in the Canadian market already. Westinghouse opens Cameco up to greater opportunities globally, but it will be interesting to see what it means for the Canadian playing field, as well.
We are Canadian A half century ago, if you worked in nuclear in Canada, odds were, you worked for AECL or Ontario Hydro, the
predecessor mega-utility from which OPG spawned. Today, what it means to be a Canadian in nuclear is as diverse as Canada’s multicultural diaspora. There are more than a half dozen active purpose-
build SMR design firms working in the domestic market, including one Canadian one, Terrestrial Energy. With the Westinghouse acquisition, there are now two Canadian- owned large-scale technologies. There is a vibrant supply community of more than 200
companies ready to take Canadian experience to other markets, across the technologies they’ve worked on here. Universities and colleges are building the talent pools and collaborating globally to support others looking to do the same.
The Canadian regulator has advanced SMRs through a vendor design review process and leveraging collaboration with other jurisdictions for a harmonised approach that Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission President Rumina Velshi says is to “protect people from risk, not to hinder progress.” Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization is well
on track to site a deep geologic repository for long-term management of the nation’s spent fuel to ensure a socially accepted solution to nuclear sustainability. There are industries looking to decarbonise with micro and small reactors at their sites. And, there are communities across Canada, small and large, including Indigenous communities, who are engaging as active partners to be part of workforces and to power their lives and economies with nuclear technologies. For the first time in a long time, the federal government acknowledges the importance of nuclear in Canada’s energy mix. The industry is hoping it will do more, like counterparts in other jurisdictions, such as the UK. Because nuclear has become part of Canada’s DNA and the country is ready to take it global. Now it can only hope that this time, recessionary
forecasts and unsettled geopolitics do not overtake the world’s commitment to a clean energy future. ■
Above: OPG has selected the GE-Hitachi BWRX-300 for Canada’s first on-grid SMR reactor at the Darlington site 38 | April 2023 |
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