Several provinces — Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick — have signed onto a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the deployment of Small Modular Reactors.
Recognizing the opportunity to be trailblazers in clean technology, these provinces are intent on reducing emissions in a safe and sustainable way, outlines Neil Alexander in this Intelligence Memo for the C. D. Howe Institute.
“It’s the latest step in Canada’s useful progress towards the demonstration of this new technology, the first hurdle in the race to anchor Canada at the forefront. Among other initiatives, the federal government is providing funding to progress the development of the Moltex and Terrestrial Energy reactor designs and the Minister of Natural Resources is reinforcing the message that Canada cannot meet its emissions targets without the help of nuclear.”
Yet while the comparatively manageable cost of these SMRs allow for a more private-sector led approach than was available in the past, there are still areas where government is needed to lay some groundwork for the successful implementation of this technology, Alexander writes. He outlines several suggestions of what these actions should be, including ensuring public support for SMRs, building on the existing confidence in the regulators ability to ensure the health and safety of Canadians and the quality of our environment, and building cross-party support to ensure that the program survives changes in government.
A coordinated approach is necessary, he concludes:
“This program would best be implemented by a multi-disciplinary team, independently led and with representation from potential customers (domestic and export), environmental specialists, Indigenous people, politicians from all parties, lawyers, financiers, economists and social scientists as well as the nuclear experts who are presently in the driving seat.”
