Planning for Nuclear Power

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We need all options on the table to help us reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions in how we generate power, as soon as possible. Nuclear power from Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) is one of those options.

The Long-Term Supply Plan Draft Summary includes 7 lessons learned during our internal supply planning process and the public engagement process.

Along with the lessons learned we shared 8 recommendations that will help guide SaskPower’s future. Lesson 4 emphasizes the importance of a diverse supply mix to reduce risk and keep our options open. This includes the recommendation that SaskPower develop new low and non-emitting generation technologies to do so. To get there, two actions are identified related to our work on nuclear power.

Read all 7 lessons, view 8 recommendations and learn more at saskpower.com/engage.

Watch the video below to learn more about SMRs in Saskatchewan.

While a decision on whether to build a small modular reactor (SMR) in Saskatchewan won’t be made until 2029, planning needs to happen now. The lengthy planning process requires us to select a specific nuclear technology and potential site.

We've selected GE Hitachi’s BWRX-300 SMR design and shortlisted two sites near the City of Estevan—one on the Boundary Dam Reservoir in the RM of Estevan and the other on the Rafferty Reservoir in the RM of Cambria. We will proceed with detailed investigation through technical and environmental studies of the two sites, leading to final site selection in early 2025.

The Elbow region remains an attractive option for the development of nuclear power. We will continue to explore land options in the region and continue to work with Rightsholders and communities in the area.

Right now, we're in the site selection phase of the project. We have a long list of criteria - some of the key ones are illustrated below.

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Our goal is to narrow down options for a potential site based on information we collect through studies and engagement activities with communities, stakeholders and Rightsholders in the study areas.

That’s where you come in. We’ll be sharing information and seeking to learn more about each area. We’re interested in hearing about your values and your environmental, social and economic priorities. Your feedback will help identify things that would need to be considered and planned around if a facility were to be built on one of these sites.

We'll compile the feedback we hear through engagement and use it to inform the site selection process and the impact assessment. We also want to know what you’re wondering about and how you’d like to get updates, to help shape our communications and information-sharing.

Visit our SMR Engagement Schedule for upcoming opportunities to learn more about the project and to ask questions.

We need all options on the table to help us reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions in how we generate power, as soon as possible. Nuclear power from Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) is one of those options.

The Long-Term Supply Plan Draft Summary includes 7 lessons learned during our internal supply planning process and the public engagement process.

Along with the lessons learned we shared 8 recommendations that will help guide SaskPower’s future. Lesson 4 emphasizes the importance of a diverse supply mix to reduce risk and keep our options open. This includes the recommendation that SaskPower develop new low and non-emitting generation technologies to do so. To get there, two actions are identified related to our work on nuclear power.

Read all 7 lessons, view 8 recommendations and learn more at saskpower.com/engage.

Watch the video below to learn more about SMRs in Saskatchewan.

While a decision on whether to build a small modular reactor (SMR) in Saskatchewan won’t be made until 2029, planning needs to happen now. The lengthy planning process requires us to select a specific nuclear technology and potential site.

We've selected GE Hitachi’s BWRX-300 SMR design and shortlisted two sites near the City of Estevan—one on the Boundary Dam Reservoir in the RM of Estevan and the other on the Rafferty Reservoir in the RM of Cambria. We will proceed with detailed investigation through technical and environmental studies of the two sites, leading to final site selection in early 2025.

The Elbow region remains an attractive option for the development of nuclear power. We will continue to explore land options in the region and continue to work with Rightsholders and communities in the area.

Right now, we're in the site selection phase of the project. We have a long list of criteria - some of the key ones are illustrated below.

""

Our goal is to narrow down options for a potential site based on information we collect through studies and engagement activities with communities, stakeholders and Rightsholders in the study areas.

That’s where you come in. We’ll be sharing information and seeking to learn more about each area. We’re interested in hearing about your values and your environmental, social and economic priorities. Your feedback will help identify things that would need to be considered and planned around if a facility were to be built on one of these sites.

We'll compile the feedback we hear through engagement and use it to inform the site selection process and the impact assessment. We also want to know what you’re wondering about and how you’d like to get updates, to help shape our communications and information-sharing.

Visit our SMR Engagement Schedule for upcoming opportunities to learn more about the project and to ask questions.

What questions do you have for us about the project?

Nuclear power from small modular reactors is a new concept for most Saskatchewan residents. You probably have a lot of questions – share them here. 

Questions may be posted publicly. Please ensure your questions are clear, concise and relevant. You can ask multiple questions, but please submit one question at a time so we can provide clear and direct answers. We’ll do our best to respond within 2 to 4 business days. Please be respectful and follow the moderation policy. Submissions that do not meet these requests may not be answered or posted.

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  • Share I think the provincial government should be working with Cameco to incentivize Uranium enrichment in Saskatchewan. Cameco already has a stake in enrichment technology and the new SMR being built in Darlington will require the enriched Uranium to be purchased from Orano in France. Sask Power has made the correct choice in going with Hitachi vs Candu technology. Adding Uranium enrichment to burn in these modern type of reactors will be good value added processing for Saskatchewan and create more value added careers. on Facebook Share I think the provincial government should be working with Cameco to incentivize Uranium enrichment in Saskatchewan. Cameco already has a stake in enrichment technology and the new SMR being built in Darlington will require the enriched Uranium to be purchased from Orano in France. Sask Power has made the correct choice in going with Hitachi vs Candu technology. Adding Uranium enrichment to burn in these modern type of reactors will be good value added processing for Saskatchewan and create more value added careers. on Twitter Share I think the provincial government should be working with Cameco to incentivize Uranium enrichment in Saskatchewan. Cameco already has a stake in enrichment technology and the new SMR being built in Darlington will require the enriched Uranium to be purchased from Orano in France. Sask Power has made the correct choice in going with Hitachi vs Candu technology. Adding Uranium enrichment to burn in these modern type of reactors will be good value added processing for Saskatchewan and create more value added careers. on Linkedin Email I think the provincial government should be working with Cameco to incentivize Uranium enrichment in Saskatchewan. Cameco already has a stake in enrichment technology and the new SMR being built in Darlington will require the enriched Uranium to be purchased from Orano in France. Sask Power has made the correct choice in going with Hitachi vs Candu technology. Adding Uranium enrichment to burn in these modern type of reactors will be good value added processing for Saskatchewan and create more value added careers. link

    I think the provincial government should be working with Cameco to incentivize Uranium enrichment in Saskatchewan. Cameco already has a stake in enrichment technology and the new SMR being built in Darlington will require the enriched Uranium to be purchased from Orano in France. Sask Power has made the correct choice in going with Hitachi vs Candu technology. Adding Uranium enrichment to burn in these modern type of reactors will be good value added processing for Saskatchewan and create more value added careers.

    Chris asked 6 months ago

    Thanks for the comment and feedback.  As we consider adding nuclear power to our future supply mix to power the province, ensuring economic opportunities for our province and Saskatchewan people is a priority. The fuel supply chain has been identified as an area of particular interest, given our rich uranium resources in the province. 

    Canada currently has no uranium enrichment facilities. Historically, nuclear reactors in Canada have all been able to utilize natural uranium as a fuel source, so there’s never been a need to enrich uranium in Canada.  If we start to depend more on uranium enrichment for our energy needs, it may become more important to our national energy security.

    Uranium enrichment is strategically sensitive and expensive to construct. Since there hasn’t been a need in Canada for at-home uranium enrichment capacity given existing capacity in the global industry, the initial business case to establish this functionality may be challenging. In addition, from a non-proliferation standpoint, uranium enrichment is a sensitive technology which requires tight international control. To learn more, visit Uranium Enrichment | Enrichment of uranium - World Nuclear Association (world-nuclear.org)

  • Share Why not go with molten salt type of reactor are they not a lot safer .;and what can you tell me about using thorium.. on Facebook Share Why not go with molten salt type of reactor are they not a lot safer .;and what can you tell me about using thorium.. on Twitter Share Why not go with molten salt type of reactor are they not a lot safer .;and what can you tell me about using thorium.. on Linkedin Email Why not go with molten salt type of reactor are they not a lot safer .;and what can you tell me about using thorium.. link

    Why not go with molten salt type of reactor are they not a lot safer .;and what can you tell me about using thorium..

    Missing link asked 9 months ago

    Thank you for inquiring. SaskPower completed an extensive SMR technology assessment that considered eight key criteria, including operational safety and environmental stewardship, technology readiness, cost of electricity, waste, fuel supply chain, economic benefit to the province, mode of operation and services beyond energy production as well as physical plant parameters. 

    One of the designs we looked at closely in 2021, as part of a final technology selection, was the Terrestrial Integrated Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR).  These advanced reactor designs have innovative and novel safety features and unique ability to operate well in some heavy industrial applications where higher temperature steam is needed.  While molten salt reactor safety features were demonstrated during the 1960’s and 1970’s in research reactors in the United States, this reactor type has never operated since, and never commercially. The various molten salt reactor designs require more research and development to meet modern requirements, which adds costs, risks, and time to deployment.  

    There were no thorium reactors considered as part of the technology evaluation as no SMR vendors proposed such a design that could meet SaskPower’s cost and timeline requirements. There is no thorium based SMR commercially available today, especially for a greenfield jurisdiction. There is some active thorium research in Canada today, and it is focused around utilizing thorium and uranium blended fuels in the existing large CANDU reactors, which are not a consideration for SaskPower and our provincial grid.  

    We also took into consideration Ontario Power Generation’s selection of the GE-Hitachi BWRX-300 for deployment in Ontario. As a result, we concluded that deployment of the same GE-Hitachi SMR design in Saskatchewan presents a lower overall deployment risk with the strong likelihood of a materially lower cost of power.

    The BWRX-300 is the tenth generation BWR from GE-Hitachi and is an enhanced and scaled down version of GE-Hitachi’s ESBWR technology, which has been in existence since 1955. This water-cooled reactor design utilizes passive safety systems that leverage the design and lessons learned over the past several decades. Having a light-water reactor deployed in Ontario and then in Saskatchewan is the most efficient way to enable success on the pan-Canadian and fleet-based approach to SMR deployment. 

  • Share What will be the max distance for power produced be? on Facebook Share What will be the max distance for power produced be? on Twitter Share What will be the max distance for power produced be? on Linkedin Email What will be the max distance for power produced be? link

    What will be the max distance for power produced be?

    Clarke Jackson asked 6 months ago

    Thank you for the question. There is no limit to the distance electricity can be transferred from a generation source to an end user.  That being said, there is a loss of energy when electricity is transmitted far distances.  The amount of line loss depends on how the voltage and current levels are managed.  SaskPower tries to keep generation sources close to major load centres to avoid transmitting large amounts of energy great distances.  

  • Share How can you justify the billions SMR’s cost for a population just over 1 million? The water requirements given the droughts we are experiencing could be better used in crop production not to become contaminated - what plans are being made to address droughts & the high water volumes required? Westinghouse bankruptcy of 2 nuclear plants & Cameco’s purchase of that division; Moe’s Dubai invitation to their Management; one could assume Moe is going ahead without a clear mandate by Sask residents - why? Why is Sask Power failing to provide the negative impacts of SMR’s on Sask? Why is Sask Power not pursuing renewables wind, solar & geothermal when Norway & Germany have successfully provided electrical energy in smaller landmasses with greater requirements? Long term storage of contaminated materials & decommissioning costs are astronomical- what plans are in place to manage the excessive costs and where are you planning on storing materials at the end ? How many shares do the Sask Power Management & Moe have in Cameco & is this influencing decision making? Transparency is a necessity- that’s lacking in our Crowns - as the residents of Sask own the Crowns not the SP. on Facebook Share How can you justify the billions SMR’s cost for a population just over 1 million? The water requirements given the droughts we are experiencing could be better used in crop production not to become contaminated - what plans are being made to address droughts & the high water volumes required? Westinghouse bankruptcy of 2 nuclear plants & Cameco’s purchase of that division; Moe’s Dubai invitation to their Management; one could assume Moe is going ahead without a clear mandate by Sask residents - why? Why is Sask Power failing to provide the negative impacts of SMR’s on Sask? Why is Sask Power not pursuing renewables wind, solar & geothermal when Norway & Germany have successfully provided electrical energy in smaller landmasses with greater requirements? Long term storage of contaminated materials & decommissioning costs are astronomical- what plans are in place to manage the excessive costs and where are you planning on storing materials at the end ? How many shares do the Sask Power Management & Moe have in Cameco & is this influencing decision making? Transparency is a necessity- that’s lacking in our Crowns - as the residents of Sask own the Crowns not the SP. on Twitter Share How can you justify the billions SMR’s cost for a population just over 1 million? The water requirements given the droughts we are experiencing could be better used in crop production not to become contaminated - what plans are being made to address droughts & the high water volumes required? Westinghouse bankruptcy of 2 nuclear plants & Cameco’s purchase of that division; Moe’s Dubai invitation to their Management; one could assume Moe is going ahead without a clear mandate by Sask residents - why? Why is Sask Power failing to provide the negative impacts of SMR’s on Sask? Why is Sask Power not pursuing renewables wind, solar & geothermal when Norway & Germany have successfully provided electrical energy in smaller landmasses with greater requirements? Long term storage of contaminated materials & decommissioning costs are astronomical- what plans are in place to manage the excessive costs and where are you planning on storing materials at the end ? How many shares do the Sask Power Management & Moe have in Cameco & is this influencing decision making? Transparency is a necessity- that’s lacking in our Crowns - as the residents of Sask own the Crowns not the SP. on Linkedin Email How can you justify the billions SMR’s cost for a population just over 1 million? The water requirements given the droughts we are experiencing could be better used in crop production not to become contaminated - what plans are being made to address droughts & the high water volumes required? Westinghouse bankruptcy of 2 nuclear plants & Cameco’s purchase of that division; Moe’s Dubai invitation to their Management; one could assume Moe is going ahead without a clear mandate by Sask residents - why? Why is Sask Power failing to provide the negative impacts of SMR’s on Sask? Why is Sask Power not pursuing renewables wind, solar & geothermal when Norway & Germany have successfully provided electrical energy in smaller landmasses with greater requirements? Long term storage of contaminated materials & decommissioning costs are astronomical- what plans are in place to manage the excessive costs and where are you planning on storing materials at the end ? How many shares do the Sask Power Management & Moe have in Cameco & is this influencing decision making? Transparency is a necessity- that’s lacking in our Crowns - as the residents of Sask own the Crowns not the SP. link

    How can you justify the billions SMR’s cost for a population just over 1 million? The water requirements given the droughts we are experiencing could be better used in crop production not to become contaminated - what plans are being made to address droughts & the high water volumes required? Westinghouse bankruptcy of 2 nuclear plants & Cameco’s purchase of that division; Moe’s Dubai invitation to their Management; one could assume Moe is going ahead without a clear mandate by Sask residents - why? Why is Sask Power failing to provide the negative impacts of SMR’s on Sask? Why is Sask Power not pursuing renewables wind, solar & geothermal when Norway & Germany have successfully provided electrical energy in smaller landmasses with greater requirements? Long term storage of contaminated materials & decommissioning costs are astronomical- what plans are in place to manage the excessive costs and where are you planning on storing materials at the end ? How many shares do the Sask Power Management & Moe have in Cameco & is this influencing decision making? Transparency is a necessity- that’s lacking in our Crowns - as the residents of Sask own the Crowns not the SP.

    Sandra Lee asked 10 months ago

    Thank you for your questions. We’ve separated them and included the answer for each for easy reference. 

    How can you justify the billions SMR’s cost for a population just over 1 million?

    SaskPower is committed to achieving a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions power system by 2050 or earlier. Our research shows that nuclear power from SMRs has strong potential to provide reliable, emissions-free and cost-effective.

    We continue to evaluate a range of low- and non-emitting generation options to determine what role they will play in helping us reach that goal. 

    This will include expanding options that are already available to us, such as wind, solar and natural gas while also pursuing emerging, non-emitting baseload power generation options, such as nuclear power from small modular reactors.

    Based on early estimates, the cost of electricity from the GE-Hitachi small modular reactor (SMR) could be competitive with alternative base load, zero- emissions generation options available in the early to mid 2030s. Based on the completion of the same SMR design by Ontario Power Generation by the end of 2028, SaskPower will have highly reliable cost estimates by the time a final investment decision is made in 2029 to build an SMR in Saskatchewan.

    One could assume Moe is going ahead without a clear mandate by Sask residents. Why?

    As part of our future supply planning, we asked about specific supply options in our Stage 2 survey. You can find the full results of that survey in our Stage 2 What We Heard report here, but we’ve also included the ‘Support for Generation Options’ for nuclear here for easy reference:

    • 39.4% strongly support
    • 25.8% somewhat support
    • 10.7% somewhat oppose
    • 14.8% strongly oppose
    • 9.4% don’t know 


    These numbers largely align with other publicly available research, such as Environics Research’s 2023 ‘Public Attitudes to Nuclear Power’ research which can be found here.

    The water requirements given the droughts we are experiencing could be better used in crop production not to become contaminated – what plans are being made to address droughts and the high water volumes required? 

    Water availability is a key consideration for a the SMR project. Surface water is used for cooling the steam cycle, which is the same principle that most coal-fired power plants and nuclear power plants operate under. Depending on the cooling technology and characteristics of the waterbody, water consumption of a thermal power plant can be kept quite low. We work closely with the Water Security Agency, who allocates water for things like power generation and irrigation projects.  We’re also doing a lot of evaluation of the technology requirements, cooling options, and waterbodies, so that potential impacts of the SMR facility can be well understood.

    It is important to note that the cooling water is kept separate from the nuclear operations of the facility; therefore, when the water is returned to the water body it is not contaminated.

    Long term storage of contaminated materials and decommissioning costs are astronomical – what plans are in place to manage the excessive costs and where are you planning on storing materials at the end? 

    Before receiving a licence to construct and a license to operate a nuclear power facility our lifecycle regulator, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), requires that plans for waste management and decommissioning are well developed and funded. Producing these types of plans prior to licencing is unique to the nuclear industry. Through the planning phase of the SMR development project we’re working towards developing these plans. If you’re interested in learning more about how waste is regulated, please visit the CNSC’s website.

    Canada’s plan for nuclear waste management is administered by the NWMO, who is tasked with developing a repository for long-term storage of all spent nuclear fuel from Canadian reactors. Spent fuel will need to be stored in the short-term, at the site of the facility. If you’re interested in learning more, please visit the NWMO’s website.

    Ensuring our SMR project is economically viable is very important to us. Based on the completion of the same SMR design by Ontario Power Generation (OPG), SaskPower will work with OPG to better understand potential costs to inform our final investment decision in 2029 to build an SMR in Saskatchewan. The costs associated with managing the waste products from a nuclear power plant can be affordable because we get a lot of energy from very small amounts of fuel.

    How many shares do the SaskPower Management & Moe have in Cameco and is this influencing decision making? Transparency is a necessity – that’s lacking in our Crowns – as the residents of Sask own the Crowns not SP

    At SaskPower has a comprehensive Code of Conduct Policy that outlines that no confidential information or personal information shall be used by SaskPower personnel to derive any benefit for themselves, their family members, personal acquaintances or business associates. We take this very seriously and have several internal controls in place to ensure personnel adhere to this policy.

    Individuals elected to the provincial legislature and members of Cabinet must adhere to the Members’ Conflict of Interest Act to ensure that Members do not use their elected office to further their private interest. To learn more about this Act, visit www.saskcoic.ca

  • Share Who do we contact regarding the industrial coatings that will be used on this project? We have been developing industrial sandblasting and powder coating paint processes with many of our local mining companies, and we believe we have something valuable to offer on the SMR project. Thank you. on Facebook Share Who do we contact regarding the industrial coatings that will be used on this project? We have been developing industrial sandblasting and powder coating paint processes with many of our local mining companies, and we believe we have something valuable to offer on the SMR project. Thank you. on Twitter Share Who do we contact regarding the industrial coatings that will be used on this project? We have been developing industrial sandblasting and powder coating paint processes with many of our local mining companies, and we believe we have something valuable to offer on the SMR project. Thank you. on Linkedin Email Who do we contact regarding the industrial coatings that will be used on this project? We have been developing industrial sandblasting and powder coating paint processes with many of our local mining companies, and we believe we have something valuable to offer on the SMR project. Thank you. link

    Who do we contact regarding the industrial coatings that will be used on this project? We have been developing industrial sandblasting and powder coating paint processes with many of our local mining companies, and we believe we have something valuable to offer on the SMR project. Thank you.

    SCPC asked 9 months ago

    Thank you for reaching out. Local and provincial economic development and Indigenous participation will be a top priority for this project, and we’ll be looking at ways to help build new supply chains in Saskatchewan. Exploring these opportunities will be an important theme of conversation through our Indigenous and public engagement and in our engagement with the Government of Saskatchewan. We expect to have details regarding specific opportunities associated with the BWRX-300 SMR project in the near future and then we’ll start engaging specifically with suppliers like you.

  • Share Where are the proposed sites for disposal of the nuclear waste generated by SMRs? What stage is the developement of a permanent storage site at? What studies have been done regarding the safety and long-term viability of permanent storage sites? Has Sask Power made the studies for long-term storage public? on Facebook Share Where are the proposed sites for disposal of the nuclear waste generated by SMRs? What stage is the developement of a permanent storage site at? What studies have been done regarding the safety and long-term viability of permanent storage sites? Has Sask Power made the studies for long-term storage public? on Twitter Share Where are the proposed sites for disposal of the nuclear waste generated by SMRs? What stage is the developement of a permanent storage site at? What studies have been done regarding the safety and long-term viability of permanent storage sites? Has Sask Power made the studies for long-term storage public? on Linkedin Email Where are the proposed sites for disposal of the nuclear waste generated by SMRs? What stage is the developement of a permanent storage site at? What studies have been done regarding the safety and long-term viability of permanent storage sites? Has Sask Power made the studies for long-term storage public? link

    Where are the proposed sites for disposal of the nuclear waste generated by SMRs? What stage is the developement of a permanent storage site at? What studies have been done regarding the safety and long-term viability of permanent storage sites? Has Sask Power made the studies for long-term storage public?

    Doug B asked 10 months ago

    Most nuclear facilities in Canada safely store their high-level nuclear waste (spent fuel) on site, in accordance with federal regulations and overseen by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). Part of the planning phase for SaskPower’s potential SMR project will include the development of waste management strategies for the lifecycle of the facility, including decommissioning.

    The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) has been mandated by the Government of Canada to design and implement a plan for the safe, long-term management of Canada’s used nuclear fuel in a manner that will protect people and the environment for generations to come. Canada’s plan will contain and isolate all the country’s used nuclear fuel – including that created by new and emerging technologies like SMRs – in a deep geological repository, using a multiple-barrier system. It is consistent with best practices adopted by other countries with nuclear power programs, such as Finland, France, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, and emerged through a three-year dialogue with the public.

    Once the NWMO’s deep geological repository is permitted to contain fuel from SMRs, SaskPower will transfer all high-level waste to that facility for permanent storage.

    To learn more about Canada’s plan, visit Nuclear energy in Canada (nwmo.ca).

  • Share Where are these small modular reactors in use now and how safe are they? on Facebook Share Where are these small modular reactors in use now and how safe are they? on Twitter Share Where are these small modular reactors in use now and how safe are they? on Linkedin Email Where are these small modular reactors in use now and how safe are they? link

    Where are these small modular reactors in use now and how safe are they?

    Rosaleen Quinn asked 10 months ago

    While there are no Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in commercial operation in Canada, there are a number either in the licencing or construction phase here and in other parts of the world (strictly speaking to power generation). 

    Small scale nuclear reactors, as a technology, have been in safe operation for years, with over 160 ships in the United States navy currently powered by more than 200 small nuclear reactors.

    SaskPower has concluded that deployment of the GE-Hitachi BWRX-300 Small Modular Reactor design in Saskatchewan presents a lower overall deployment risk with the strong likelihood of a materially lower cost of power than the other technologies that were evaluated. This is the same technology that was selected by Ontario Power Generation and several other US and European companies as well. Since Saskatchewan is a green field jurisdiction for nuclear power, we are aiming to be a close follower to other jurisdictions that are developing projects for SMRs.

    The BWRX-300 is an enhanced and scaled down version of GE-Hitachi’s ESBWR technology, which has been in existence since 1955. This water-cooled reactor design utilizes enhanced passive safety systems that leverage the existing design and operating experience over the past several decades.

  • Share I hear that nuclear power is very expensive compared to the options of hydro, solar, wind , battery back up and the judicious use of gas peaker plants. Is Sask power going to entertain the greater use of rooftop solar to add to the mix. SMR would bring a limited number of jobs to Sask as well. Can we try other alternatives first? on Facebook Share I hear that nuclear power is very expensive compared to the options of hydro, solar, wind , battery back up and the judicious use of gas peaker plants. Is Sask power going to entertain the greater use of rooftop solar to add to the mix. SMR would bring a limited number of jobs to Sask as well. Can we try other alternatives first? on Twitter Share I hear that nuclear power is very expensive compared to the options of hydro, solar, wind , battery back up and the judicious use of gas peaker plants. Is Sask power going to entertain the greater use of rooftop solar to add to the mix. SMR would bring a limited number of jobs to Sask as well. Can we try other alternatives first? on Linkedin Email I hear that nuclear power is very expensive compared to the options of hydro, solar, wind , battery back up and the judicious use of gas peaker plants. Is Sask power going to entertain the greater use of rooftop solar to add to the mix. SMR would bring a limited number of jobs to Sask as well. Can we try other alternatives first? link

    I hear that nuclear power is very expensive compared to the options of hydro, solar, wind , battery back up and the judicious use of gas peaker plants. Is Sask power going to entertain the greater use of rooftop solar to add to the mix. SMR would bring a limited number of jobs to Sask as well. Can we try other alternatives first?

    Larry asked 11 months ago

    SaskPower is committed to achieving a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions power system by 2050 or sooner. To reach this goal, SaskPower is planning to significantly increase solar and wind generation in the coming years (up to 3,000 megawatts of new wind and solar by 2035).  

    Currently, natural gas generation is the main source of baseload power that backs up these intermittent options. Utility-scale energy storage options, such as batteries, are something we are pursuing to be part of our power mix in the coming years. 

    As a result of climate change, we must invest in and leverage many new tools and technologies in order to significantly reduce emissions, while keeping our grid reliable, sustainable, and cost effective.  This means we need to find the right balance of energy options as we make the transition.

    Nuclear power would provide reliable, zero-emissions baseload electricity, create jobs and support the growth of our provincial economy. Learn more by visiting the Conference Board of Canada’s report: A New Power: Economic Impacts of Small Modular Nuclear Reactors in Electricity Grids (conferenceboard.ca).


  • Share How many cubic meters of water per day of water are required for the reactor and has SaskPower considered reuse of further treated wastewater as a potential source? If so what quality of water is required to make this successful? on Facebook Share How many cubic meters of water per day of water are required for the reactor and has SaskPower considered reuse of further treated wastewater as a potential source? If so what quality of water is required to make this successful? on Twitter Share How many cubic meters of water per day of water are required for the reactor and has SaskPower considered reuse of further treated wastewater as a potential source? If so what quality of water is required to make this successful? on Linkedin Email How many cubic meters of water per day of water are required for the reactor and has SaskPower considered reuse of further treated wastewater as a potential source? If so what quality of water is required to make this successful? link

    How many cubic meters of water per day of water are required for the reactor and has SaskPower considered reuse of further treated wastewater as a potential source? If so what quality of water is required to make this successful?

    Russ asked 10 months ago

    A key component of our planning work is to determine how much water would be used in the cooling process of the BWRX-300. There are several processes that could be utilized but a final decision has not been made yet.  

    Some existing nuclear power plants and some of SaskPower’s existing coal-fired power plants use treated wastewater for cooling purposes. This is being considered within the cooling technology review that is part of the planning stage for Small Modular Reactors in Saskatchewan.

    There are many options related to the various cooling processes, with some resulting in more consumption and some less. Understanding these options is a key part of the planning work and ultimately, the goal is to have the smallest impact to the community and the surrounding ecosystem while maintaining a cooling process that is efficient and reliable.

  • Share With the proposed changes to SaskPower’s electricity generation, what is SaskPower’s end goal? on Facebook Share With the proposed changes to SaskPower’s electricity generation, what is SaskPower’s end goal? on Twitter Share With the proposed changes to SaskPower’s electricity generation, what is SaskPower’s end goal? on Linkedin Email With the proposed changes to SaskPower’s electricity generation, what is SaskPower’s end goal? link

    With the proposed changes to SaskPower’s electricity generation, what is SaskPower’s end goal?

    Ron asked 11 months ago

    We’re committed to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 or earlier while providing reliable, sustainable, and cost-effective power for the communities we serve. Right now, we’re seeking input from the public on their values, priorities and preferred power supply options as we update our long-term supply plan. Once this update is complete, the long-term plan will provide direction for annual planning. The annual plan recommends specific supply decisions and ensures short-term plans support long-term goals.

Page last updated: 11 Sep 2024, 03:20 PM