There is finally movement in Canada to explore nuclear power with the possibility of deploying Small Modular Reactors (SMR). Four provinces, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and New Brunswick, are cooperating on nuclear reactor technology and will be releasing a strategic plan later in 2022.
Canada has a long and safe history with their CANDU reactor, of which there are 19 currently operating in Canada and 12 elsewhere in the world. The development of SMRs in Canada is long overdue …
The group released a feasibility study in April which found SMRs could help Canada improve its domestic energy security and aid in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The upcoming strategic plan was originally expected to be completed in the spring of 2021.
“If you’re going to get to net zero [emissions], there is no way to do this without nuclear. And given the importance of the oil sands in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, this may be the opportunity,” Duane Bratt, a political scientist at Mount Royal University who is also an expert in Canada’s history with nuclear energy, said.
Canada has committed to reaching that net zero target by 2050.
The operation of SMRs doesn’t produce carbon emissions. However, its status as a fully clean energy has been criticized due to the dangers of disposing the radioactive waste.
Federal government looking at national nuclear supply chain
This fall the federal government put out a tender to study how Alberta and Saskatchewan could contribute to a national nuclear supply chain.
“Alberta Energy was engaged by Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) for the development of their SMR Supply Chain Study project,” Henshaw said.
“Alberta Energy, the Alberta Utilities Commission and the Alberta Energy Regulator will be working together to identify and address potential areas of overlap, uncertainty and duplication between federal and provincial regulatory regimes.”
Traditional nuclear reactors used in Canada can typically generate about 800 megawatts of electricity, or about enough to power 600,000 homes at once, assuming one megawatt can power about 750 homes. The term SMR, on the other hand, is applied to units that produce less than 300 megawatts of electric output. Some SMRs are small enough to fit into a school gym.
With Canada’s Federal government foolishly committing to reaching “net zero” by 2050 there is little to no chance of them being able accomplish that without deploying nuclear power. In the over-reaching government over-reaction to climate change they have required that all new cars sold in Canada from 2035 be zero emissions, to do this would require a significant increase in Canada’s electrical generation capacity.