FOCUS ON CANADA | SPLIT DECISION
proceed is expected by 2029. Earlier this year, the province announced sites in the Estevan area as likely candidates for the first SMR.
Alberta As Canada’s oil and gas capital, Alberta has some of the greatest decarbonisation challenges as it tries to balance the value and need of its natural resources against GHG reductions. Further, it has diversification ambitions that include becoming a data centre hub that will likely require a switch to low-carbon electricity given its current mix of primarily gas and coal. Nuclear reactors, of various sizes and designs, could help both on-grid electricity and industrial decarbonisation goals. Several developments over the past few years have
included: ● 2019: A memorandum between Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and New Brunswick to cooperate on SMR advancement;
Above: Aside from Ontario New Brunswick is the only other province currently using nuclear in its energy mix with its Point Lepreau 660 MW CANDU
this is supported by one of the world’s most primed
supply chains, busy at home but also marketing its expertise, honed by years of refurbishments, to the world.
Saskatchewan Saskatchewan has long been one of the largest uranium producers and exporters, globally. The business has seen an uptick with growing global interest in nuclear energy. However, until recently, Saskatchewan did not consider nuclear as part of its own energy mix. That changed when the provincial utility, SaskPower began investigating SMRs, including a 2017 memorandum of understanding with Ontario Power Generation. Most recently, in September 2024, SaskPower announced
it was forming a subsidiary company SaskNuclear to advance the province’s SMR project through the regulatory and licensing process. A final decision on whether to
● July 2023: A mandate letter to Alberta’s minister of energy includes SMR development, including encouraging oil sand operators to explore SMRs as a decarbonization option;
● January 2024: Agreement between Ontario Power Generation and Capital Power for SMR development in Alberta; and
● March 2024: Alberta announces it is considering conventional scale reactors for on-grid electricity.
New Brunswick Aside from Ontario, New Brunswick is the only province currently using nuclear in its energy mix. The province, home to about 850,000 people, gets about 30% of its electricity from a single 660 MW CANDU reactor but still has a long way to go to decarbonise the remainder of its electricity grid and overall energy use. Its provincial utility NBPower was an early proponent of advanced reactor development and continues to investigate SMRs as part of the province’s future. ■
The federal connection: Policies influence outcomes across the country
While provinces may be the traditional decision makers on electricity and electrification, increasingly private sector is recognising an opportunity to employ stand-alone nuclear and hydrogen amongst other decarbonisation strategies in their operations. The federal government plays an instrumental role influencing the decisions of both.
After decades of lukewarm acknowledgement of the industry,
Canada’s current Liberal government came out with increasing unequivocal support for nuclear energy in the past several years, citing the important role it will play in pushing back GHG emissions and climate change. The support has included investment in research, education and development as well as tax credits and loan guarantees helping to spur investment. Internationally, Canada has been a major presence in OECD Nuclear
Energy Agency (NEA) nation-to-nation collaboration, including an OECD-NEA led initiative where more than 20 countries signed on to triple nuclear by 2050. As well, Canada has worked bilaterally with both the United States and the United Kingdom on various initiatives to further advance
areas like regulation and fuel security. In part, the strengthening of Canadian nuclear policy can be attributed to the US Inflation Reduction Act and new opportunities for nuclear investment south of the border. A key file to watch right now is Canada’s siting of a repository for spent fuel waste. The organisation tasked with this, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization, has been working through a consent-based process with communities for more than a decade. Site selection is anticipated by year’s end. In 2023, the federal government also announced plans to move forward with strategy development for permanent disposal of the country’s low and intermediate level waste. Well understood and supported waste management is considered a key enabler of the country’s new nuclear programmes. Canada is set for an election within the next year and the industry will be watching to see whether there is a change in government, and if so, a change in direction. On the latter, the hope is the feds, of whatever stripe, will stay the course. And, because of the over-sized influence of the US, the same can likely be said for the November 2024 US election. ■
32 | November 2024 |
www.neimagazine.com
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