Minister of Energy Sonya Savage (left) and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney (Government of Alberta)

By Justin Goulet/LethbridgeNewsNow

Alberta and three other provinces release strategic plan on small modular reactors

Mar 28, 2022 | 2:42 PM

EDMONTON, AB – The governments of Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick have teamed up on a strategic plan for the development and use of small modular reactors (SMRs).

SMRs are scalable nuclear reactors that typically produce 300 megawatts of electricity or less. They can support large established grids, small grids, remote off-grid communities and resource projects.

A new report from the provinces, A Strategic Plan for the Deployment of Small Modular Reactors, highlights how SMRs can provide safe, reliable and zero-emissions energy to power homes and businesses in each province.

Alberta’s Energy Minister Sonya Savage said, “Alberta is committed to responsible and innovative energy development. There is great potential for SMRs to provide zero-emission energy for industrial operations in remote areas and to further reduce emissions from Alberta’s oil sands.”

“This strategic plan marks another important step forward to determine how to best manage and regulate this innovative technology by working with our provincial partners and federal regulators. Should private industry determine to pursue the development of SMRs here, it would offer yet another chapter in Alberta’s ongoing history of responsible energy development and innovation.”

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The report identifies five key priority areas for the development and deployment of SMRs:

• Positioning Canada as an exporter of global SMR technology by propelling three separate streams of SMR development, covering both on-grid and off-grid applications.
• Promoting a strong nuclear regulatory framework that focuses on the health and safety of the public and the environment while ensuring reasonable costs and timelines.
• Securing federal government commitments on financial and policy support for new SMR technologies that would lead to vast economic benefits across the country and help meet our emissions reduction targets.
• Creating opportunities for participation from Indigenous communities and public engagement.
• Working with the federal government and nuclear operators on a robust nuclear waste management plan for SMRs.

Since December 2019, the governments of Ontario, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan have been working together to advance SMRs in Canada via an interprovincial memorandum of understanding (MOU). Alberta joined that MOU in April 2021.

READ MORE: Province to enter in agreement to explore small-scale nuclear technology

READ MORE: Alberta signs MOU with three other provinces to develop small nuclear reactors

The report builds on the provincial power utilities’ SMR Feasibility Study, requested by the provinces as part of the MOU. It concluded that SMR development would support domestic energy needs, help curb greenhouse gas emissions and position Canada has a global leader in clean technologies and the fight against climate change.