A recent study conducted by the International Minerals Innovation Institute further suggests that Small Modular Reactors do have a place when it comes to generating clean energy in Saskatchewan’s mining and minerals sector.

Al Shpyth, Executive Director at IMII, says going into the study, they were quite confident that SMRs could adequately generate energy, but they were unsure if they could also produce enough heat.

“Mining operations certainly do use electricity, but they also have a need for heat, which is predominantly made by burning of fossil fuels. We wanted to really explore, from an engineering perspective, to see if there’s a pathway to get heat out of a reactor and into a mill to replace some of these fossil fuels.”

He says seven months of research suggested that the industry would need access to ‘generation four reactors’, which don’t exist yet commercially.

“So, we do hope policy makers and stakeholders in the mineral sector take a look at the study, use it as a resource to help understand the considerations that the industry has in determining how to best meet that energy demand for heat and electricity.”

He says there are some economic and environmental considerations to be made and converting an entire industry to a different energy source is a lengthy procedure, so he doesn’t expect any major changes within the decade.