Nuclear option resurfaces in Alberta
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Could be 2035 before province sees first nuclear reactor; monies allocated to study conversion of fossil fuel electric generation
Gary Park for Petroleum News
For the umpteenth time Alberta is hoping to utilize nuclear power -- a target that Premier Danielle Smith says is still about a decade away despite frequent moves by government and industry in the direction of deploying the province's first small modular reactor, SMR.
"Our industry is anticipating it will take until 2035 to be able to get the first nuclear reactor rolled out in Alberta, but I hope we can do it a lot faster than that," Smith told reporters at an SMFR Summit in Calgary in early March.
Smith's government is allocating C$600,000 to SMR developer X Energy Reactor in partnership with Calgary-based TransAlta that is studying repurposing a fossil fuel electricity generation site for a nuclear reactor.
SMR potential for oil sands The potential of nuclear power in the oil sands has gathered steam with Terrestrial Energy, based in Oakville, Ontario, forming a base in Alberta to offer an opportunity that is not available elsewhere in Canada to develop SMRs.
"The nuclear solutions for Eastern Canada are very much focused on a traditional nuclear system. This is an on-grid power generation idea," said Simon Irish, the CEO of Terrestrial Energy.
He said Alberta, with a C$1 trillion annual energy market, offers opportunity for private energy that is now available in some other parts of Canada, namely Ontario, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, the three most active of Canada's 10 provinces who have all signed a memorandum of understanding to develop SMRs.
"The nuclear solutions for Eastern Canada are very much focused on a traditional nuclear system," said Irish. He said the new nuclear generation system will provide high quality heat for industry, which is "clean, cost competitive, secure and reliable."
The investment by Terrestrial will create 29 jobs over the next two years, targeting development of a zero-emission heat and power plant that will provide direct-use power in oil sands projects.
SMRs to reduce emissions Brad Parry, CEO of Calgary Economic Development, said the SMRs have been identified as a key tool in reaching net zero emissions and an important part of the energy transition taking place in Calgary.
In January, X-Energy signed a memorandum of understanding with the government agency Invest Alberta to develop economic opportunities to support the potential deployment of the Xe-100 SMR in Alberta, while GE-Hitachi and ARC Energy have a foothold in other provinces.
Duane Bratt, a political science professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary, said public opinion in Canada on nuclear energy has changed dramatically over the past decade, moving from below 50% approval rate to 70%.
He said the understanding about SMR has grown as well. "Critics will say, 'Well, if it hasn't been licensed already it never should be,' which is a kind of a ridiculous argument."
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