EdmontonSA国际影视传媒檚 Capital Power Corp. and Ontario Power Generation are joining together to assess the feasibility of developing small modular nuclear reactors to help power AlbertaSA国际影视传媒檚 electricity grid.

At an announcement Monday in Edmonton, the two companies said small modular reactors, or SMRs, will be critical in the years to come if Canada and Alberta are to meet growing demand for clean electricity.

They said the feasibility assessment will take two years to complete and will include exploring ownership and operating structures for a potential fleet of grid-scale SMRs in Alberta.

SA国际影视传媒淐reating a carbon-neutral energy system that prioritizes reliability and affordability while accommodating growing demand is one of the most unprecedented transitions of our time,SA国际影视传媒� said Capital Power CEO Avik Dey at MondaySA国际影视传媒檚 announcement.

SA国际影视传媒淣uclear energy is, and must be, a critical part of the clean energy transition, and part of our power generation fleet here in Alberta if we are to become carbon-neutral.SA国际影视传媒�

Small modular reactors are a type of nuclear technology that is far smaller, cheaper and faster to build than a traditional nuclear reactor. They are fully scalable SA国际影视传媒� usually in the range of 10 to a few hundred megawatts SA国际影视传媒� and can be built to suit a wide variety of applications.

SMRs remain largely untested on a commercial scale, but proponents believe their time has arrived. Ontario Power Generation is already building North AmericaSA国际影视传媒檚 first fleet of SMRs at the Darlington nuclear site in Ontario, with the first of these four 300 MW units is expected to be complete by 2028 and online by the end of 2029.

Last year, the federal government through the Canada Infrastructure Bank committed almost $1 billion to the Darlington project.

While the company has not yet publicly released an estimated capital cost for its Darlington SMRs, Ontario Power Generation CEO Ken Hartwick said small-scale nuclear is far more affordable than a conventional nuclear plant and represents a realistic opportunity to help decarbonize CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 electricity grid.

SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檓 very convinced this is comparable (in cost) with wind, solar, batteries or any combination of those,SA国际影视传媒� Hartwick said Monday.

SA国际影视传媒淲ith Ontario and Alberta leading on this, along with other provinces that are looking SA国际影视传媒� I really do think we can make a difference.SA国际影视传媒�

In Canada, four provinces SA国际影视传媒� New Brunswick, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta SA国际影视传媒� have agreed to collaborate on the advancement of SMRs as a clean energy option, and Canadian researchers are working on new materials and designs that could make SMRs practical in a large range of new uses.

SMRs have even been touted as a potential solution for AlbertaSA国际影视传媒檚 oilsands, one that could replace the vast volumes of fossil fuels burned in the oilsands production process.

MondaySA国际影视传媒檚 announcement about SMRs came after a weekend of bitterly cold temperatures strained the capacity of AlbertaSA国际影视传媒檚 electrical system. The provinceSA国际影视传媒檚 grid operator appealed to consumers to preserve power in order to prevent rotating blackouts.

AlbertaSA国际影视传媒檚 Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf said the situation was a reminder of how important it will be to ensure the provinceSA国际影视传媒檚 electricity grid has the right mix going forward.

Alberta, which has very little hydroelectric generating capacity but a rapidly expanding wind and solar power footprint, still depends heavily on fossil fuels in the form of natural gas for electricity generation.

Consistent source of power

SMRs are appealing, Neudorf said, because they provide the type of consistent base-load power that will be needed to backstop more intermittent clean power sources such as solar and wind in the future.

SA国际影视传媒淪MRs will soon play a role in growing our economy and reducing our emissions,SA国际影视传媒� Neudorf said.

SA国际影视传媒淚 think it makes it makes great sense for Alberta to be looking at this, especially given their investment in renewables,SA国际影视传媒� said Jacquie Hoornweg, a clean energy expert with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

SA国际影视传媒淗aving a small modular reactor in the system means that you can get the most out of your renewables when youSA国际影视传媒檙e operating, but you have that base-load or load-following capability that is also low-carbon.SA国际影视传媒�

The challenges facing the deployment of SMRs in Canada include regulatory hurdles, as well as whether commercial-scale projects can be completed on budget. Recently, an Oregon-based company called NuScale cancelled a proposed SMR project south of the border, citing concerns around escalating costs.

But Hoornweg said the real appeal of the technology is the way it can be scaled up or down as needed.

SA国际影视传媒淭here are a lot of places in Alberta for sure that may not be able to benefit from a traditional-scale reactor, but there are many regional centres as well as many off-grid or very specific-purpose uses where a small modular reactor could make a lot of sense,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

SA国际影视传媒淭he potential here is huge, in terms of being an enabler of decarbonization in Alberta.SA国际影视传媒�

Capital Power, which has set its own goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, is also pursuing greenhouse gas abatement in the form of a proposed carbon capture and storage project at its Genesee natural gas-fired power plant.

In an interview Monday, Dey said carbon capture is a more near-term decarbonization solution than SMRs, but thereSA国际影视传媒檚 no time to waste even on longer-term technologies.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 really important that we start on our journey with SMRs and nuclear now, because the lead times are so long,SA国际影视传媒� Dey said.

SA国际影视传媒淭he biggest hurdle is we donSA国际影视传媒檛 have an existing regulatory and permitting process specific and bespoke to Alberta. This is new to Alberta, itSA国际影视传媒檚 new to Albertans SA国际影视传媒� we need to work through that process.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒擝y Amanda Stephenson, The Canadian Press