Feds offering up to $74M in funding for SMR development in Saskatchewan

Ottawa is prepared to send up to $74 million in funding to support small modular reactor development in Saskatchewan.

SaskPower has said a decision on whether to build a modular reactor is expected to be made in six years.

The Crown corporation has identified two possible locations for reactors: The Elbow area around Lake Diefenbaker, and the Estevan area near Boundary Dam, Rafferty Reservoir and Grant Devine Lake.

The federal government said in a media release that SMRs can play an important role in decarbonizing provincial electricity grids.

Ottawa wants Canada’s electricity grid to be non-emitting by 2035.

Jonathan Wilkinson, the federal minister of Energy and Natural Resources, made the funding announcement Saturday in Saskatoon. The funding is to support pre-engineering work and technical studies, environmental assessments, regulatory studies and community and Indigenous engagement.

“Delivering clean, reliable and affordable electricity will look different in every region of Canada,” Wilkinson said in the release. “That is why the Government of Canada is committing up to $74 million to explore the potential for small modular reactors in Saskatchewan to provide abundant non-emitting power, drive economic growth and create good jobs throughout Saskatchewan.”

SaskPower already has chosen the GE-Hitachi BWRX-300 for potential deployment in Saskatchewan in the mid-2030s.

“The approved funding of $74 million serves as a strong indication from the government that Canada is at the forefront of global innovation and implementation of small modular reactors,” John Gorman, the president and CEO of the Canadian Nuclear Association, said in the release.

“Saskatchewan’s SMR program will provide reliable, low-carbon baseload energy to meet increasing electricity needs, supply clean power to its resource extraction industry and fuel the province’s economic growth. This is exciting news for the residents of Saskatchewan, including its Indigenous communities, who have supported the province’s SMR development.”