Saskatchewan’s recent announcement envisages two large reactors supplying more than 2,000 MW in the northwest, potentially starting in 2042, plus at least 600 MW from small modular reactors near Estevan.
The ambition makes sense. The willingness to acquire more foreign dependencies… does not.
The list of potential vendors for large reactors is short:
- Westinghouse and its AP1000
- AtkinsRealis and Canadian CANDU technology
Will Canada import Westinghouse and their American reactor technology, or keep everything in-house with AtkinsRealis and the CANDU?
In today's era of national energy security, it's not exactly clear why Canadian leadership is taking more than 3 seconds to make the logical choice.
Saskatchewan is choosing between building their own homegrown reactor technology with an almost fully domesticated fuel and manufacturing supply chain, or instead, importing American nuclear technology and becoming reliant on US fuel and supply chain support for the next century.
Decisions, decisions…
While Westinghouse does wear a metaphorical red leaf on their collar (given their Canadian company ownership with Cameco and Brookfield), the AP1000 reactor technology is still American-based and is subject to export controls from the US.
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