Trying to achieve net zero carbon emissions is driving the need for SaskPower to look at alternative sources of energy, and one of those options could be Small Modular Reactors. Darcy Holderness, Project Manager of SMR Development at SaskPower, says there are no greenhouse gas emissions from nuclear power and even the carbon footprint from building a nuclear facility would be relatively small.

The challenge is finding a power source that can be baseline power, which nuclear energy would be, and uranium is available here in Saskatchewan, which right now is being exported elsewhere for nuclear energy. Holderness suggests having nuclear power as an option would allow us to get a bit more out of the uranium value chain. As well, it creates good paying jobs. He emphasizes that a decision won’t be made on whether or not to use SMRs in Saskatchewan until 2030, and there will be community engagement throughout the process.

Holderness understands the concerns around what happens to the nuclear waste and explains that with these SMRs, the amount is manageable. Uranium is a dense form of energy and you get a lot out of a small amount. Ten pellets the size of a gummy bear could power a Canadian household for an entire year. He adds that Canada is not new to nuclear power. Ontario has three nuclear power plants and New Brunswick has one.