SaskPower has made significant progress in its search for a potential host site for the province’s first Small Modular Reactor (SMR) facility. Two high-potential sites in the Estevan area have been identified for further study: one on the Boundary Dam Reservoir and one on the Rafferty Reservoir.
This comes following analysis of the Elbow and Estevan study areas, coupled with public feedback and Indigenous engagement which will continue throughout the project.
“In addition to the technical suitability of the sites, the Estevan region offers many benefits, including proximity to the City of Estevan to access existing services, a skilled workforce, accommodations and emergency services, as well as infrastructure, roads and transmission,” said SaskPower President and CEO Rupen Pandya. “Selecting a site for the first SMR facility will allow us to proceed with the many regulatory processes which are site-specific and critical to the project moving forward.”
SaskPower will now begin detailed site assessment of each potential site throughout 2024, leading to a final site selection in 2025.
Over the coming months, the utility will begin additional studies to collect ground water and geotechnical details, while also conducting detailed land and water analyses.
Data collected throughout 2024 will help identify a final site while protecting the natural environment through minimizing impacts to sensitive lands and habitats.
The Elbow study area remains an attractive option for the development of nuclear power. SaskPower will continue to seek land options in the region and work with Rightsholders, Indigenous and municipal leaders and community members. The utility continues to explore this area for potential future nuclear development.
SaskPower expects to select a final host site in the Estevan area in early 2025. Site selection is a critical step to enable SaskPower’s final investment decision in 2029.
SaskPower is in year four of an eight-year planning phase for the development of nuclear power from small modular reactors. It is seeking regulatory approval from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission on a site for an SMR facility it plans to build by the mid-2030s. If the decision is made to proceed in 2029, SaskPower intends to build the first 315-megawatt reactor by 2034, with another to potentially follow shortly after at the same facility.
SaskPower will continue to study the role nuclear power may play as the company works towards net-zero green house gas emissions by 2050. For more information about SaskPower’s SMR development project, visit saskpower.com/nuclear.
Please see below for maps showing the two Estevan area sites.
At a glance...
- SaskPower identified two potential host sites for a Small Modular Reactor facility
- Both potential sites are in the Estevan study area
- SaskPower will now begin detailed site analysis
- Learn more at saskpower.com/nuclear
Boundary Site
Rafferty Site...
Read the full news release here
