Brian Zinchuk is editor and owner of Pipeline Online
“We are charting a path forward for one of the largest energy and economic development opportunities in our province’s history.”
Premier Scott Moe, announcing his government’s nuclear power generation intentions on Sept. 29, 2026. Photo by Brian Zinchuk
SASKATOON – Premier Scott Moe led off the announcement on Sept. 29 that Saskatchewan intends on building two large scale reactors in northwest Saskatchewan, in addition two small modular reactors at the Rafferty site west of Estevan. Here is his speech, verbatim, picking up after introductory pleasantries:
Nearly a year ago, we released our Saskatchewan’s first energy security strategy and supply plan. That plan provides an outline for an all of the above approach to power generation, and it confirms our nuclear ambitions into the future. Since then, we have made significant progress. We are strengthening Saskatchewan’s grid with plans for major transmission expansions that will support future growth across this province. Industrial growth, yes, but also growth and access to power for communities and families across Saskatchewan. And I would point to less a power line, 240 kVA power line. That’s being built up to the northwestern portions of our province.
I would also point to the federal electricity strategy, which is very much prioritizing nuclear power and very much prioritizing the ability that we have to work with other provinces to create inner ties to truly have a Canadian electricity grid. Western Canada’s first small modular reactor safety licensing and testing center has been established at the University of Regina. Saskatchewan Power and Bruce Power Corporation they signed a memorandum of understanding to access world class nuclear expertise, also a step forward in this conversation in our province.
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A site selection for Saskatchewan’s first SMR was narrowed within the Estevan area recently, and more recently, you saw a memorandum of understanding being signed between the province of Saskatchewan, the province of Alberta, and the Northwest Territories to deepen our nuclear cooperation and actually to work together, not only on that interconnected electricity grid, but to work together specifically on the build out of large scale reactors in Western Canada. These are important and, I would say, significant milestones for us to create that affordable, reliable electricity security into the future for residents of this province.
These maps, released by SaskPower, show the two sites that had been under consideration. The first is along the south side of the road that goes into Woodlawn Regional Park, on Boundary Dam Reservoir. The second is due south of Macoun, on the north shore of Rafferty Reservoir. SaskPower
Today is the next step in that journey, and I’m pleased to release an update to the Energy Security Strategy, one that focuses specifically on nuclear energy. We are charting a path forward for one of the largest energy and economic development opportunities in our province’s history. Saskatchewan is leading the nation when it comes to economic growth. We see major industries in this city and across this province that are expanding and expanding with their investment, even beyond our provincial borders. That was noted just last week as I was in Vancouver to celebrate a half billion dollar investment by a Saskatchewan conglomerate of companies, group of companies investing in port infrastructure at the Neptune Port. I would add that that port now will have a volume that is equivalent, just that one Canadian port will have a volume that is equivalent to the entire potash exports of some countries, namely a country like Belarus.
This is the Rafferty site, one of two sites under consideration for Saskatchewan’s first nuclear reactors. The most likely location would be just over the valley edge, on the right side of the photo. Photo by Brian Zinchuk
In this province today, we have in excess of 60 significant projects that are moving forward. Those projects are totaling over 100 billion dollars of committed private sector investment. We have the first and the third largest project being built in this province. First and third largest project in Canadian history today.
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This is truly unlike any time in our province’s history, and this is truly unlike anything that is happening across the nation of Canada today. We have record set record setting private sector investment happening in the province of Saskatchewan today, and the opportunities as we look ahead are even larger than what we see in front of us. From oil and gas to agriculture, value added to mining, from manufacturing to technology, from critical minerals, or even to the investment we see in data centers. But success to all of this investment, and what is necessary for all of this investment, is access to abundant, reliable, and affordable electricity. And if we want Saskatchewan to remain one of the best places in the world to invest, to build and create jobs. We need an electricity system that can keep pace with the growth that we are having today, and keep pace with the growth that we are planning for in the future.
And that is why our government is committed to continuing to pursue an all of the above approach when it comes to our energy and electricity security. Our future electricity mix in this province will include yes, natural gas. It will include hydro, wind, solar, as well as some thermal. But we must also invest in a future source of power that is reliable in every season, available around the clock, is affordable for decades to come, affordable for us to continue to attract that investment, but also most importantly, affordable for the families that live here, and that source is none other than nuclear power.
Today, we are announcing plans to build about 2,600 megawatts of nuclear generation by the year 2050. This will include more than 2,000 megawatts of power that will come from large-scale nuclear reactors, the first of which is being planned, and it will be expected to come online about 2042. To put that into perspective, 600 megawatts can power the equivalent of Saskatchewan’s two largest cities, Regina and Saskatchewan. 2,600 megawatts could power the equivalent of 2.6 million homes, but this announcement is about much more than electricity.
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It’s about economic growth and opportunity for future generations. It’s about jobs and very real careers right here at home. It’s about creating opportunity for Saskatchewan people, Saskatchewan. Business and it’s about securing affordable, reliable power for every family in this province for generations to come, and securing every opportunity we have to continue to attract investment and provide careers for those same families for every generation to come. Nuclear development represents a multi-decade economic opportunity. (A) multi-decade economic opportunity-one that will create 1000s of jobs across the engineering, construction, manufacturing, transportation, operations, and maintenance sectors. And I talked earlier about the discussions that we had in London with Sheldon Wuttunee, and subsequent and leading up to that with Eric Anderson and his group at SIMSA as well. It will create opportunities for tradespeople, for Indigenous businesses, technological companies, fabricators, suppliers, and it will create those jobs in communities right across Saskatchewan and dare I say, right across Canada.
And Saskatchewan, I would say, is uniquely positioned to benefit because we already have so much of what the world needs, and that starts with the expertise of our people. Building world-class mining sector products in the manufacturing industry today would be one example, but nuclear power begins with uranium. We have some of that here.
Saskatchewan is very proud today to be the world’s second-largest uranium-producing jurisdiction on Earth. For decades, our uranium industry has supplied safe, reliable fuel to power reactors and really to provide that electricity for families around the globe. Now it’s time for us to take the next step and to power those very reactors right here at home in our province.
Earlier this year, we had announced that we would look at large-scale nuclear reactor deployment in Saskatchewan. Today, we are advancing those words and advancing that work significantly by identifying and assessing a site that would be capable of supporting large-scale nuclear generation in this province’s western side of the province or the northwestern part of this province. Northwest Saskatchewan provides a very strong foundation for this planning to occur. It’s strategically located and presents opportunities that extend beyond our own provincial borders.
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As I said earlier this month, we joined with Premier Smith as well as Premier Simpson from the Northwest Territories to sign a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on nuclear energy development. Large-scale nuclear generation in northwestern Saskatchewan would help strengthen regional energy security as well. And I mentioned the power line that we are building through northwestern Saskatchewan that is going to service the communities in that part of our province and provide them much more reliable and affordable power for generations to come. This will create future opportunities for us, yes, to export electricity not only throughout Western Canada, but throughout the entire Midwest of North America. It positions Saskatchewan not only as an energy producer but as an energy leader.
And at the same time, we remain committed to deploying those small modular reactors in the Estevan area, Estevan has been the energy city. They have powered Saskatchewan’s economy and powered our very homes for generations. It has a tremendously skilled workforce. It has industrial expertise and energy infrastructure that make it an ideal location to support Saskatchewan’s transition from thermal to nuclear generation over the next number of years. And we will ensure that Saskatchewan people benefit directly from all of these developments and each of these investments. We’re investing in workforce development and supply chain readiness, so that Saskatchewan workers, businesses, and Indigenous communities are first in line for the opportunities that this nuclear outbuild, that this nuclear development can enable.
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Nuclear power is more than just an energy source; it is a nation-building opportunity. It’s an opportunity to add value to the natural resources that we have produced and mined here for years. It’s an opportunity for us to strengthen our economy for generations to come, and it’s an opportunity for us to utilize that outbuild to create jobs, attract investment, and secure long-term prosperity for Saskatchewan families. And most importantly, it’s an opportunity to ensure that Saskatchewan continues to have the reliable and affordable power that we need to fuel that very economic growth that I talked about in every corner of this province, and to ensure that every family, wherever they live, has access to affordable, reliable power.
More people are choosing to live here in Saskatchewan. More people are choosing to invest here in Saskatchewan, and more people are choosing to do business here in Saskatchewan, and there are, as a result of all of this, more opportunities coming our way to communities right across this province. So today, we are very pleased to take another important step to ensure that Saskatchewan, the province where we live, the province that we know and love, is ready for that future. Saskatchewan has the uranium. We have the expertise. We have the workforce. We have the partnerships, and we most certainly have the vision. So now is a time for us to come together, all of us, to build that nuclear future that will power the province that we love, our great province of Saskatchewan, for generations to come. Thank you, everyone.
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