SaskPower narrows search for reactor sites to two options in Estevan area

SaskPower is assessing two sites in the Estevan area as potential future homes for nuclear reactors.

Two sites – one on the Boundary Dam Reservoir and another on the Rafferty Reservoir – have been identified for further study as potential homes for small modular reactors. Detailed assessments are underway, including land and water analysis, with a final site selection expected next year.

While Saskatchewan’s final decision on whether to move forward with nuclear power is not expected until 2029, the Crown power corporation is laying the groundwork the province’s potential nuclear future. At the moment, the company is seeking approval from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission on the site, which could be built by the mid-2030s.

“SaskPower is on year four of an eight-year planning phase for the development of nuclear power from small modular reactors,” the company explained in a statement.

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“If the decision is made to proceed in 2029, SaskPower intends to build the first 315-megawatt reactor by 2034, with another to potentially follow shortly after at the same facility.”

Rupen Pandya, SaskPower’s president and CEO, said the Estevan area has many benefits for a potential nuclear facility.

“In addition to the technical suitability of the sites, the Estevan region offers many benefits, including proximity to the City of Estevan to access existing services, a skilled workforce, accommodations and emergency services, as well as infrastructure, roads and transmission,” Pandya explained in a statement.

“Selecting a site for the first SMR facility will allow us to proceed with the many regulatory processes which are site-specific and critical to the project moving forward.”

SaskPower previously identified a site in Elbow along with the options in Estevan as potential homes for small modular reactors. Elbow still has potential, the company noted.

“The Elbow study area remains an attractive option for the development of nuclear power,” SaskPower noted.

“The utility continues to explore this area for potential future nuclear development.