The use of small nuclear reactors to power oil sands production could be a decade away, say experts
The pressing global need to slash emissions in the face of a growing climate crisis is driving renewed interest in nuclear power – and few places more so than in Canada’s oil sands.
Small modular reactors are a type of nuclear design that is far smaller than a traditional nuclear reactor. Generating between 10 and 300 MW of energy, SMRs are fully scalable and are designed to be built economically in factory conditions, rather than on site like a large-scale conventional reactor.
In total, the oil and gas industry is responsible for 30 per cent of Canada’s natural gas consumption, which means confronting the industry’s fossil fuel usage will be key if Canada is to meet its climate commitments. But Pathways has also formed a committee to formally explore nuclear as an alternative to natural gas in oil sands production.
“It’s Canada – it takes a really long time to build anything,” she said. “But if we want to see implementation by 2030, or into the early 2030s, we have to be doing this stuff now. We have to be looking at it now.”
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