Saskatchewan and New Brunswick strengthen small nuclear partnership

The governments of Saskatchewan and New Brunswick signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on April 17 to enhance cooperation on the development of small modular reactor (SMR) technologies in both provinces.

The MOU enables the two provinces and their utility Crowns — SaskPower and New Brunswick Power — to formally share experiences, knowledge, and successes on deployment plans, supply chain development, Indigenous relations, labour market development, regulations, and other areas.

In December 2019, the provinces of Ontario, New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan signed an MOU to work together to advance SMRs in Canada (effective from December 2019 to June 2021), with Alberta also joining the MOU in April 2021.

Through this work, participating provinces released a joint strategic plan in March 2022 outlining the path forward on the development of SMRs. 

Saskatchewan’s progress on SMR assessment is still in Phase 1 of that plan. In June 2022, SaskPower selected the GE-Hitachi Boiling Water Reactor X-300 (BWRX-300) as the technology to assess. Then, SaskPower began evaluating potential sites, settling on the areas of Elbow and Estevan. Once a final site decision has been made, the project can enter Phase 2, and begin developing Saskatchewan-specific regulatory frameworks.

The assessment and its accompanying regulatory process is overseen by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. It takes a long time, and there are no shortcuts. There is no guarantee Saskatchewan will go nuclear even if the process is completed without complications. If the province does decide to integrate small modular reactors into its grid, the earliest the first one could go online would be around 2033.

"Saskatchewan and New Brunswick have established a strong working relationship on SMR development over the years," said Don Morgan, Saskatchewan Crown Investments Corporation Minister.

"This renewed partnership will bring mutual benefits to both provinces by capturing opportunities stemming from the work on nuclear energy development across Canada and internationally. Together, we can accelerate the progress of decarbonizing power grids and industrial facilities using SMR technologies."

New Brunswick plays a leading role in Canada for Generation 4 advanced SMR development. This technology can be beneficial to Saskatchewan while the province explores industrial decarbonization. 

"New Brunswick has expertise to share from four decades of reliable nuclear operations," said Mike Holland, New Brunswick’s Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Development. "We are committed to playing a leadership role nationally and globally on clean and renewable energy. Nuclear energy is a key resource in the transition to a low-carbon future and our two provinces are well positioned to lead this evolution."

Quick facts:

• SMRs are scalable, standardized nuclear reactors. They will eventually be factory-produced, streamlining installation, worker training, and operation. ‘Regular’ nuclear reactors, by contrast, are custom-built, typically requiring decades of construction and development.
• A 300 MW SMR could generate enough clean electricity each year to power 300,000 homes. SMRs can support large established grids, small grids, remote off-grid communities, and resource projects.
• SMRs can provide stable baseload clean energy to complement renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.
• In June 2022, SaskPower announced the selection of the GE-Hitachi BWRX-300 SMR as the preferred technology for initial grid-scale deployment in Saskatchewan. Ontario Power Generation selected the same model in December 2021 for their Darlington New Nuclear Project. SaskPower's selection of the same technology helps enable a pan-Canadian, fleet-based approach to grid-scale SMR deployment.
• Advanced SMRs can offer a source of both clean electricity and heat energy (co-generation) for clean fuel production such as hydrogen for residential applications and heavy transport, ammonia, and synthetic fuels for transportation, as well as for heavy industry such as chemical, cement, steel, aluminum, mining, desalination, and oil sands.

Nuclear batteries (vSMRs)

In a separate nuclear study, the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) has partnered with Westinghouse Electric Canada on even smaller sources of nuclear power. Very Small Modular Reactors (vSMRs) have a 10-year lifespan and are the size of a standard shipping container — they can be transported ‘cold’ by a semi-trailer. They generate about 5 MW of electricity and have virtually no maintenance requirements, making a potential cost-effective green solution for off-grid communities or industry sites currently powered by diesel generators.

The SRC will locate a Westinghouse eVinci vSMR at a yet-to-be-determined Saskatchewan location sometime in 2028.