e-Edge

FEATURES : Make Room for SMRs

May 1st, 2021

APEGS ANNUAL MEETING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE


Many believe this is the future of energy production

The Conference Board of Canada recently peered into a crystal ball and delivered a report on the future of small modular reactors (SMRs) in Canada.

There’s a tentative plan to bring a SMRs to Saskatchewan, part of a move that could eventually generate 1,200 megawatts of emissions-free power.

That’s according to a feasibility study on the nascent technology by SaskPower, along with utilities in New Brunswick and Ontario. It’s part of the process launched as a memorandum of understanding between three provinces. Alberta joined in mid-April.

Darcy Holderness, P.Eng., project manager, asset management and planning with SaskPower, shed some light on this subject during his presentation at the annual meeting. He was joined by power utility representatives from New Brunswick and Ontario.

The utility recently completed its feasibility study and has since entered a planning phase, which should cover the next seven years. Construction and investment decisions will be made during this timeframe, as well as site selection for a plant and a desired type of SMR. This will lead to initiating in the regulatory processes.

Holderness stresses the importance of engagement in developing the supply options. He says Indigenous, stakeholder, customer and public engagement will be streamed into the process as supply options are eventually decided.

“There are a lot of key milestones that need to be met for this to be a possible option by this timeframe,” he says.

In addition to being cost-effective and reliable zero-emission power options, nuclear power development provides other benefits.

SMRs could offset economic losses as conventional coal is phased out. Plus, they would help lower the reliance on natural gas.

SMRs also can support the aggressive deployment of renewables. When renewables like wind and solar are generating a lot of electricity, some of the energy from an SMR could be diverted into hydrogen production, which would help to decarbonize other industries.

Some key requirements for SaskPower to successfully develop this technology include:

  • It’s a new technology and it needs to be de-risked in other jurisdictions before implemented in Saskatchewan. There’s a reliance on utility partnerships and a Canadian approach to deploying this technology.
  • Indigenous participation. Saskatchewan sees success with its uranium mining and the Indigenous participation related to it. SaskPower feels the same success can be experienced with this new industry.
  • Federal risk sharing. It’s a new technology in a new jurisdiction. It’s going to take significant investment early in the process to get qualifications and capacity to be successful. Share that risk with the federal government through cost-sharing.

The Conference Board of Canada says SMRs could generate $1.6 billion to Saskatchewan’s GDP.

“Ultimately, it comes down to a competitive price of power,” Holderness says. “SMRs have to be able to compete with other power-generation options for them to be deployed in Saskatchewan. That’s the top criteria.”

On average, manufacturing and construction could add 7,042 jobs per year from a fleet of Saskatchewan SMRs.


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