The governments of Alberta and Saskatchewan will partner to develop nuclear technology to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
The provinces have agreed to collaborate on nuclear power projects, particularly focusing on small modular reactors. This partnership aims to put these provinces at the forefront of Canada’s efforts to achieve a carbon-neutral future.
The agreement aims to exchange information on crucial aspects of nuclear power generation. These include nuclear supply and workforce development, fuel supply security, and developing and regulating small modular reactors, which Saskatchewan’s government confirmed in a press release.
The two provinces have collaborated before during energy crises, such as when Saskatchewan saved its Western neighbour from rolling brownouts during extreme cold in January.
“Saskatchewan has a long-standing cooperative relationship with Alberta on energy development, and we share similar challenges and opportunities related to decarbonization,” said Saskatchewan’s Minister of Crown Investments, Dustin Duncan.
“I look forward to continued collaboration with the Government of Alberta on meeting the power needs of our provinces, while growing our economies and introducing new nuclear industries,” he added.
Alberta’s Minister of Affordability and Utilities, Nathan Neudorf, echoed a similar sentiment towards the collaboration.
“Our provinces are leading the world in responsible energy development, and we look forward to learning from Saskatchewan’s experience with nuclear generation,” he said.
The move comes at a time when the two provinces face pressure from the federal government to reach net zero. Both governments view nuclear technology, particularly small modular reactors, as essential to achieving these goals due to their lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional nuclear reactors.
Saskatchewan, Ontario, and New Brunswick previously signed a memorandum of understanding to advance small modular reactors in Canada in 2019, with Alberta joining in 2021.
The Interprovincial Strategic Plan for the Development of Small Modular Reactors, developed by the four provinces, was released in March 2022.
The new bilateral agreement between Alberta and Saskatchewan adds additional research areas, such as industrial decarbonization and grid reliability.
Alberta’s provincial government has repeatedly asked the federal government to collaborate with the province to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. While those requests have gone largely unfulfilled, perhaps inter-provincial collaboration can make up for the missed opportunity by the feds.
