Brian Zinchuk is editor and owner of Pipeline Online
Model of an eVinci microreactor. Photo by Brian Zinchuk
The long-awaited Saskatchewan New Democratic Party long-term plan for the provincial electrical grid was released in Regina on April 8, and it puts a lot of emphasis on natural gas-fired power generation, wind, solar and storage, eventual nuclear power, but an end to coal-fired power “as practical.” Instead, coal units would be converted to natural gas for their fuel.
Pipeline Online went through the document, reviewed the press conference and spoke at length to Aleana Young, NDP Economy and Jobs Shadow Minister, who has spent six years on the SaskPower file. Crown Investments Corporation Minister and Minister Responsible for SaskPower Jeremy Harrison also sent a reply by email.
This story is massive, and as such will be broken into several parts. It’s the most depth made available on this topic after months of development by the “government in waiting.”
Small modular reactors
On small modular reactors, or SMRs, the text of the released plan criticizes the government’s SMR plan on several points, but does not explicitly say the NDP would pursue them.
In criticizing the government in calling it the “most expensive pathway across the scenarios considered, the plan says, “As SMR timelines lag, a slow build out will lead to more difficult finding investment and markets to sell any surplus energy as competing projects will have come online prior to SaskPower’s. The evolving provincial and national energy evaluations suggest that SMRs may not be the most economical nuclear option.
This graphical rendering of a GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300 is the first new graphic like this to be released in some time. Notably, it only shows one reactor at the site, but four are being considered. Tennessee Valley Authority.
It goes on to note the much higher costs for SMRs than was originally expected when first announced in 2022. “Risk is higher than other scenarios given the lack of detailed information on the cost and construction timelines of Saskatchewan SMRs (Ontario’s first SMR cost $7.7 billion for a single 300-MW unit).”
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Two of the four scenarios mentioned in the NDP’s plan include SMRs. One sees SMR power first going on the grid in 2035, while the second doesn’t see SMRs until 2050, and even then just a sliver of power from nuclear. No other nuclear is included in those scenario graphs, although the plan does speak of large scale nuclear in collaboration with neighbouring provinces.
Young explained, “The two scenarios that we ran include SMRs. The other two scenarios were run to say, if nuclear timelines lag, so nuclear is not available, what should we build instead? So that’s why you don’t that’s why you see nuclear and only two out of the four scenarios.”
“There are SMRs in the plan. Are there here questions as the Sask. Party’s own SMR timeline is years behind schedule? Yes. Is there ongoing discussion across the country about whether cost per mega watt SMRs are the most economical nuclear option available? Yes! Those are important conversations, if it becomes uneconomical, then it becomes uneconomical. But we’re not ideologically opposed to something. What we’re committed to is affordable, reliable, flexible power, and that’s what you see in this plan, that we have different scenarios built out. We believe in having flexibility for the Crown and for our grid, so that if things change – maybe costs suddenly drop by 80 per cent on SMRs. Great news! Guess what? Those would become a larger part of the plan. If costs triple, then they start to become less economic. Like this is just common sense.”
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Large reactors
On large nuclear, does the NDP envision building large reactors and sending power to Alberta and Manitoba? Young said, “This is the important work that SaskPower should have been doing, and largely was doing over the past decades. Building big nuclear is incredibly cost intensive.
“It costs a lot of money and a jurisdiction like Saskatchewan building and financing those all by ourselves with the small tax base that we have, isn’t practical. Alberta couldn’t do it. Ontario can’t do it. So exploring real partnerships with likely, patient investment, with our neighbors to the east and west, makes sense. It’s a huge opportunity for Saskatchewan to actually lead on nuclear.”
Westinghouse AP1000 reactors at Vogtle. Cameco
She referred to previous discussions under the Wall government to possibly build reactors near Lloydminster.
“What we were saying in the report, what we’re signaling to our neighbors, what we’ve said to the federal government, what we’ve said to industry, is we want you to be at the table. These will be alliances and partnerships. You’re not just going to be people that we talk to in a pinch, we need to be building out security and capacity across western Canada, and there is no reason that Saskatchewan shouldn’t be at the heart of that.”
Micro reactors
The plan also references micro nuclear reactors for the north. However, last October, Westinghouse pulled its eVinci reactor project from the Saskatchewan Research Council, which had been planning on building the first. It did so because the United States Department of Defence (now War) wanted to use the eVinci for defence and aerospace applications. As a result, the eVinci is no longer available for potential civilian use, as had been the previous plan.
Westinghouse eVinci model on display in Saskatoon. Photo by Brian Zinchuk
Asked about this, and the fact the eVinci is no longer available, Young said, “This is about, again, having conversations. We hear this. We hear this from industry. We certainly hear this from industry in the north. You hear this from our territorial partners in Canada. Saskatchewan, again, we see significant investments in research, in innovation to something that we should be exploring. This is again another opportunity for Saskatchewan to be part of that nuclear conversation, part of energy security for our remote, remote and northern communities here in Saskatchewan and across the country. I don’t know what’s off putting about that. I think, I think it’s a fantastic thing.”
Even with the eVinci off the market, she said, “We can still continue to search and innovate and explore opportunities to build micro reactors in the future with other remote communities, with industry who are desperate for reliable, secure power in the places that we need it for development, in Saskatchewan.”
In Part 3, The NDP’s plans for wind, solar, storage, transmission and interties are discussed
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- 0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it
- 0092 Turnbull projects big and small0092 Turnbull projects big and small
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