SASKATOON – In 2023, a seismic shift happened in nuclear power generation, and Saskatchewan is now finding out its role.
Long has Saskatchewan been one of the most significant uranium producers on the planet, with Cameco being a key player in that regard. But now things are shaping up to go well beyond just supplying yellowcake to the world.
That year, American nuclear giant Westinghouse was bought out of bankruptcy by two Canadian firms – Brookfield Asset Management bought 51 per cent and Saskatoon-based Cameco bought 49 per cent. Westinghouse played a defining role in the western world’s nuclear development. The first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus, sailed in 1955 with a Westinghouse pressurized water reactor (PWR) powering it, proclaiming “Underway on nuclear power.”
The US Navy has used Westinghouse reactors in much of its nuclear fleet, from submarines to surface ships. The USS Nimitz-class aircraft carriers all have two Westinghouse PWR reactors in them.
And on the civilian side, the underlying technology of PWR reactors make up the majority of nuclear reactors around the world, according to Westinghouse reps who spoke in Saskatoon on Nov. 8.
Why were they in Saskatoon? The company held a suppliers symposium to expand its supply chain to include Saskatchewan. And it doesn’t hurt that SaskPower is considering different models of Westinghouse reactors for deployment here. Saskatchewan will soon be home to the very first eVinci microreactor, capable of 5 megawatts of power generation. And SaskPower signed an MOU with Westinghouse on June 17, 2024, about the possibility of deploying their largest reactors, the 1,200 megawatt AP-1000, as well as fuel supply potential.
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This coincides with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe making allusions to the possibility of eventually building 1,000 megawatt-class reactors in this province, a point he has made several times in interviews with Pipeline Online since August, 2023.
The AP-1000 has been around for a long time now, with numerous units deployed around the world. It’s been around long enough that China is now building several of its own version of the AP-1000 in addition to Westinghouse units. But the tortured deployment of two units in Georgia have proven to be both a curse and a blessing. Their dramatically stretched out building and deployment is what put Westinghouse into bankruptcy in the first place, resulting in Brookfield’s and Cameco’s joint purchase for what was effectively a song. Cameco paid just US$2.1 billion for its 49 per cent share.
But the Georgia units, known as Vogtle 3 and 4, which went online July 31, 2023 and April 29, 2024, have proven to have remarkably high capacity factors since going into operation. And between those units, and units around the world, the number of AP1000 units in play, either built, under construction, or in planning actually numbers 38, so far. That number is significant, and came into play throughout the day.
And based on the already-licensed AP1000 reactor, Westinghouse is getting into the small modular reactor (SMR) space, with the 300 megawatt AP300. While SaskPower has already committed to building competing General Electric-Hitachi BWRX-300 units at Estevan (at least two), Westinghouse is looking to compete in the Saskatchewan market.
The symposium, held at Prairieland Park, featured several themes which will be explored in the following stories of this series.
First and foremost, Westinghouse is intent on involving Indigenous people from the very start. The event was put on by the Saskatchewan Industrial Mining Suppliers Association (SIMSA). Joining SIMSA executive director Eric Anderson in hosting the event was Sheldon Wuttunee, president and chief executive officer Saskatchewan First Nations Natural Resource Centre of Excellence Inc. The first hour of the event included several dances performed and drumming. The table at the front corner was filled with First Nations band chiefs and business leaders of First Nations-owned numerous ventures. Wuttunee, himself, is a former chief of Red Pheasant Cree Nation, south of the Battlefords.
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Another thrust of the event was the fact Westinghouse, which has been foundational in the electrification of humanity around the world, is now a Canadian-owned company.
Thirdly, several speakers spoke of the AP1000 being the Nth of a kind. It’s not new technology. They’re being built around the world. And they sorted out what caused the issues in Georgia. And that technology is now being parlayed into the AP300 SMR.
Fourth, Saskatchewan will play a key role in the development of the eVinci microreactor, with the Saskatchewan Research Council having ordered the first, for deployment here, in this province.
Fifth, when Westinghouse says modular, they really mean it. For the vast majority of what will go into these various reactors, they want it to be able to fit on the back of a flatdeck semi trailer. By all but eliminated shipping size constraints, that means components built here can potentially be used almost anywhere in the world.
Sixth, Westinghouse is indeed intent on developing a Saskatchewan supply chain. During the week leading up to the Friday symposium, they visited numerous companies in Saskatoon, such as JNE Welding, to scope out their capabilities to become future suppliers.
Seventh, the time to start developing the workforce for nuclear is now. To that end, Westinghouse had an elementary school teacher on stage, speaking about connecting with students at a young age.
Pipeline Online will explore these aspects through a series of stories over the coming days and weeks.
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