In its quest to establish nuclear power as a primary source of energy in Saskatchewan, the provincial government has announced plans for two largescale nuclear reactors in Saskatchewan’s northwest.
The announcement was made at the College of Engineering on the University of Saskatchewan campus; a petri dish for the very professionals who will help develop the province’s nuclear technology moving forward.
Premier Moe says the plan is that the reactor would be able to produce 2600 megawatts of energy by 2050, or enough energy to power 2.6 million homes. The Province aims to get the project online by 2042.
When asked about project funding, Moe stated that “The dollars invested in a facility like this change over time as there is more being built. The goal is for the investment dollars to decrease at a larger rate than inflation is happening. That’s why there’s no dollars invested in this.”
Minister Responsible Jeremy Harrison says funding this project could include private sector financing.
“I wouldn’t take t as given that there is a day-one outlay from governments for the full capital costs. There are a number of different options of how this could work going forward. We’re going to explore all of those.”
Although the Province did not specify what area of the northwest the site would be located at, Harrison indicated that his riding of Meadow Lake may overlap with the region of interest.
Tyler Holman is the Business Manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2067. He says projects like these are fantastic news for tradespeople.
“Government can announce a project. Industry can design and manage it, but at the end of the day, it’s workers who build it. It is tradespeople who turn plans into reality, and Saskatchewan has the best tradespeople.”
Also within the announcement, a decision to explore the Rafferty Dam Reservoir site near Estevan as a potential home to Saskatchewan’s first small modular reactor. That site beat out the Boundary Dam Reservoir, also located near Estevan.
