Small modular nuclear reactor test center planned for Regina
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Saskatchewan will establish Western Canada’s first center for safety, licensing and testing on small modular nuclear reactors, also known as SMRs.
Currently, Canada generates 15 percent of its electricity from nuclear power, but none of it is produced in Western Canada.
The new center will be located at Innovation Saskatchewan’s Research and Technology Park, adjacent to the University of Regina.
According to SaskPower, the Crown corporation responsible for exploring the future of nuclear energy in the province, it will consist of two small modular reactor “test loops” that will simulate a section of a reactor.
Jeremy Harrison, the minister responsible for SaskPower, said the test center will help establish Saskatchewan as a center of “nuclear excellence” and support the local “nuclear workforce and supply chain.”
Harrison told media Monday that he believes nuclear power is central to the province’s energy security strategy.
He also appreciated Commitment and cooperation from other provincesIncluding Ontario and New Brunswick on the development of SMR.
“I really believe this is a project of integration on a national level,” Harrison said.
Arthur Sittam is the Canada Research Chair on SMR Safety and Assistant Professor at the University of Regina. He said the test loops would be non-nuclear devices that would simulate actual conditions present in the reactor and allow researchers to look at a variety of conditions, including the chemistry of the reactor components.
“Reactors are expensive. You’re making a big upfront (investment) and you want to run it well and effectively as long as you can get your money’s worth from the investment,” Sittam said.
According to SaskPower, the test loop will make it possible for post-secondary institutions in the province to offer new training and research programs in nuclear engineering, thermal hydraulics, chemistry and safety.
SaskPower President and CEO Rupen Pandya said the training center will help attract and develop the talent needed to make nuclear power generation a reality in Saskatchewan.
“We are very serious about the work we are doing,” Pandya said.
A final decision on whether an SMR will be built in the province is not expected to be made until 2029. If approved, construction could begin as early as 2030, with the first SMR in Saskatchewan to be operational by 2034. CBC Saskatchewan reporter Alexander Kwon explains why the province wants to install SMR in the first place.
SaskPower is still considering whether it will build an SMR in the province.
On Monday, Harrison said Estevan would be a “likely location” if the SMR is built.
Two sites near the city in southeast Saskatchewan have been identified as potential locations and a decision on the final site is scheduled for some time this year.
SaskPower has indicated that a final decision on construction of the SMR will come by the end of 2029, with construction beginning in 2031 and completed in 2034.
The Crown corporation is contributing $4 million to establish the testing centre. An additional $2 million is coming from the federal government through the Prairies Economic Development Canada, and Innovation Saskatchewan is contributing $1 million, as well as an in-kind contribution for the first three years of leased space at the research and technology park.
SaskPower said the Canadian Nuclear Laboratory will also provide a variety of design assistance.
