Saskatchewan began a formal review of large nuclear reactor technologies, marking the province’s third attempt to bring nuclear power to a region rich in uranium but lacking operational reactors.
The Government of Saskatchewan and utility SaskPower announced the evaluation will run parallel to an existing small modular reactor project near Estevan. Officials said bringing a large reactor online would take at least 15 to 20 years.
“Our Energy Security Strategy sets out a pathway to nuclear power generation from both SMRs and large nuclear reactors, using Saskatchewan uranium,” Minister Responsible for SaskPower Jeremy Harrison said at a January 28 announcement in Saskatoon.
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Saskatchewan sits atop some of the world’s largest uranium reserves but has no nuclear power plants. Previous proposals in the early 1990s and 2008 were abandoned over concerns about costs and radioactive waste disposal.
SaskPower will evaluate proven technologies, including Westinghouse’s AP1000, France’s European Pressurized Reactor, and CANDU designs. The utility plans to identify a preferred design later this year, President Rupen Pandya said.
The province joins Ontario, New Brunswick, and Alberta in pursuing nuclear expansion under a 2022 interprovincial strategic plan. Small modular reactors carry estimated costs between three billion and five billion Canadian dollars per unit.
Critics question whether nuclear investments could limit funding for renewable alternatives. Saskatchewan environmental advocate Peter Prebble told CBC the province is taking an irresponsible approach to climate policy by prioritizing nuclear over other options.
SaskPower expects to announce a site for its first small modular reactor in the Estevan area later in 2026. A 2007 consultant report identified the Lake Diefenbaker region near Elbow as suitable for large reactors due to water supply requirements.
Harrison said the government does not plan to fund every dollar of a large reactor project, pointing to private financing models used in other jurisdictions. He called the initiative an enormous opportunity to add value to Saskatchewan’s uranium from mine to reactor.
The evaluation requires years of regulatory work, site selection, and consultation with Indigenous rights holders and communities before construction could begin.
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