SaskPower pushes forward with nuclear energy developments

A partnership between Saskatchewan and Ontario is hoping to bring cleaner energy to the province.

SaskPower, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and its subsidiary, Laurentis Energy Partners (LEP), are coming together to advance Saskatchewan’s small modular reactor (SMR) development project.

SMRs are small nuclear reactors that produce around 300 megawatts of clean electricity, which is enough to power about 300,000 homes.

Dustin Duncan, the minister responsible for SaskPower, said both provinces share a common vision of Canada’s energy future: Nuclear power.

“Together, our two provinces are taking meaningful steps on our shared path to a sustainable and reliable energy future,” he said during a media conference Monday.

Duncan is thrilled to have the agreement with OPG since it’s recognized as a world leader in nuclear operations with more than five decades of experience with the technology.

He said they are in Year 3 of an eight-year process.

SaskPower is hoping to have a site chosen by the end of 2024. Elbow and Estevan were two areas previously mentioned as potential areas for the project.

The government will decide in 2029 if the province wants to build its own SMR.

If approved, construction would start around 2030 and the reactor will be in operation by sometime in 2034.

An exact location hasn’t been selected yet, SaskPower CEO Rupen Pandya said, but he said conversations are happening with communities to pick the most ideal location.

He said the announcement of the collaboration is much more than just a partnership agreement.

“It also marks the leading role our provinces are poised to play in nuclear power development in Canada and around the world,” said Pandya.

He said SaskPower is working to meet net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Reaching that goal involved exploring a range of low and zero carbon-emitting solutions, like nuclear power from SMRs.

“The energy sector is facing its most profound transition in over 100 years and SaskPower is no different,” he explained.

According to Pandya, the agreement is the beginning of both provinces doing their part for a cleaner and better energy future for generations to come.

Ontario perspective

Ontario Energy Minister Todd Smith said there are mutual benefits to this partnership for both provinces.

“This technology is going to help clean the air in Ontario, it’s going to provide reliable, affordable electricity to Saskatchewan and it’s also going to create economic development here in this province, like we’ve seen in Ontario,” he explained.

Ontario is currently building the first of four SMRs at its nuclear facility in Darlington.

Smith said nuclear energy created about 76,000 jobs across Canada, with 65,000 in Ontario alone.

Ken Hartwick, the president and CEO of OPG, said OPG and LEP will play key roles in the project, with the main outcome being sharing their years of knowledge.

“The goal of OPG and Laurentis in this is to build out all this capability here. In a way, work ourselves out of a job is what the intention is. It’s to bring what we’ve already done and have that expertise picked up by people here,” said Hartwick.

For more information on the SMR project, visit the SaskPower website.