Province revisits nuclear power as way to cut emissions
The Saskatchewan government is seriously considering nuclear energy to replace aging coal- and natural gas-fired power plants, in part because of growing concern about climate change and carbon dioxide emissions.
While it would be years before a nuclear power station could be constructed in the province, small modular reactors (SMRS) are one of three options the province is eyeing as a long-term source of baseload electricity, to be supplemented by wind and solar.
“Nuclear power has virtually no emissions relative to (liquefied natural gas), which has some emissions, relative to carbon capture and storage, which does have some emissions. It really starts to change the conversation,” Premier Scott Moe said.
However, at least one expert believes the long timelines and high cost compared to making existing power plants more efficient and installing utility-scale renewable projects means it’s unlikely a reactor will be built in Saskatchewan in the next two decades.
“It just takes too long,” said Ann Coxworth, a nuclear chemist and Saskatchewan Environmental Society board member.
The CEOS of Cameco Corp. and Orano Canada Inc., which mine and mill uranium in the Athabasca Basin, have both expressed support for nuclear as a solution to climate change. Tim Gitzel, who runs Cameco, said nuclear has to be part of the conversation.
“We’re going to need in 20 years every source of electricity we have operating today, and then double it,” Gitzel said Wednesday, adding renewables will not cover that demand.
This is not the first time provincial politicians have mused about nuclear power. Premier Scott Moe and his predecessor, Brad Wall, have been floating the idea for more than a decade.
While those trial balloons have for the most part floated away, Moe said he believes the conversation around nuclear power is “maturing” due to increased awareness about the emissions generated by conventional power plants.
Saskatchewan Power Corp. is working to cut its emissions from electrical generation by 40 per cent from 2005 levels over the next decade, and Moe said its research suggests that using SMRS could push that figure higher, perhaps up to 60 per cent.
Nuclear power is not the only option on the table, however. Saskpower is also looking at liquefied natural gas (LNG) and coal-fired plants with carbon capture and storage technology (CCS) as other long-term baseload power sources.
“It actually opens up the opportunity for us to go quite a bit further in our emissions reduction than we even thought we could with a mix of renewables and LNG or a mix of renewables and CCS,” Moe said, adding that the economics of each option will matter.
Any nuclear project in the province’s future would likely happen in conjunction with New Brunswick and especially Ontario, both of which are exploring similar ideas and are ahead of Saskatchewan when it comes to nuclear power.
Timelines and costs have yet to be determined.
Last year, Natural Resources Canada said it expects some SMR designs could be deployed “in the near term,” with others under development available within the next 15 years.
Just over a decade ago, the Saskatchewan government rejected as too large and too costly Bruce Power’s proposal to build a 1,000-megawatt reactor in the province.
Saskpower’s current system produces around 3,000 megawatts.