As Canada’s population grows and the push for electrification accelerates, the country faces a crucial dilemma: how do we meet soaring electricity demand and reduce carbon emissions?
With energy demand increasing and renewables being questioned as to whether or not they can reliably close the gap, one of the oldest yet most misunderstood technologies may play an important role in further diversifying our energy mix — nuclear power.
“With growing concern around climate change and our carbon emissions, people are recognizing this as an amazing technology,” says Julianne den Decker, senior vice-president of operations for CANDU Energy and chair of the Canadian Nuclear Association board of directors.
When it comes to Canada’s energy sources, nuclear can be among the most polarizing. Advocates cite it’s a non-emitting, reliable energy, while opponents raise concerns over safety, radioactive waste and how it’s stored, uranium tailings, as well as carbon emissions during construction of new facilities.
To address some of these concerns, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) was established in 2002 to design, implement and manage Canada’s plan for the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel. The plan to contain and isolate all used nuclear fuel in a deep geological repository using a multiple-barrier system is highly regulated and continually updated to reflect new technological developments, industry insights and protect Canada’s public and environmental interests.
“The industry is 100 per cent responsible for every waste product for the entire life cycle,” says den Decker. “We account for every ounce of waste and store it properly.”
When we asked engaged women across the country to share their thoughts on the role of nuclear energy in the future of Canada’s energy generation, 50 per cent told us they believe nuclear will be important. When we focused on engaged women in Ontario, that number jumps to 64 per cent.
That makes sense, given the majority of Canada’s nuclear energy production takes place in Ontario at the Bruce, Darlington and Pickering plants, and we know engaged women are quite familiar with the energy sources in their community or province.
Canada has a long history in nuclear power, with nuclear laboratories, an established supply chain and a domestic uranium mining industry, which is the main source of fuel for nuclear reactors. As our population and the demand for energy continues to grow, driven in part by technological developments in the renewable and artificial intelligence industries, many of Canada’s leaders are looking at the role nuclear can play as a reliable, low-emission energy source.
A major benefit with nuclear, den Decker says, is that it has a very high energy density. For example, nuclear energy is far more energy-dense than coal — one uranium fuel pellet the size of your fingertip creates as much energy as one ton of coal. According to the World Nuclear Association, one ton of natural uranium can produce approximately 44 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, while 20,000 tons of coal must be burned to produce the same amount.
Using a combination of nuclear and hydroelectric, Ontario was able to successfully eliminate coal from its provincial energy mix in 2014.
Nuclear and Canada’s energy security
Canada’s history of nuclear power generation goes back more than 70 years, to the establishment of the first National Research Experimental Reactor in Chalk River, Ontario, in 1947.
All Canadian reactors are CANDU — Canada Deuterium Uranium — a technology that was developed in the 1950s. “It’s the only reactor technology that uses natural, unenriched uranium,” says den Decker.
Today, there are 19 reactors located in four plants (three in Ontario, one in New Brunswick), which generate approximately 15 per cent of Canada’s electricity.
As Canada undergoes an energy transformation in pursuit of net-zero emissions by 2050, nuclear provides a reliable, secure, low-emission energy source, den Decker says.
Uranium is the main fuel source for nuclear reactors, and Canada has one of the largest supplies in the world.
All operating mines and mills in Canada are located in northern Saskatchewan, where uranium concentrations are up to 100 times larger than averages around the world. This abundance protects Canada from supply chain disruptions, international conflicts or embargoes that may hamper production and interrupt nuclear energy generation.
Once established, nuclear reactors can run 24/7, 365 days a year, generating stable electricity to be used in combination with renewables and fossil fuels to power grids across Canada, while balancing intermittency issues that come with wind and solar power.
“You really need to make sure you have enough baseload power in your electricity mix so it’s available when you need it,” says den Decker. “When you’re running a grid, you have peaks in power demand. And you need baseload power sources, provided by either hydro, nuclear or fossil fuels. Renewables are much more intermittent power sources, so you want a good mix of big baseload generation to handle the known electricity loads, and renewables and storage to help cover peaks and valleys in demand.”
Finally, nuclear plants do not release any emissions during operation, making them a low-emission source of energy for Canada’s future power generation.
“Anything that’s manufactured, whether it’s a solar panel or a windmill or a nuclear power plant, will generate emissions during the manufacturing of the components that go into it,” adds den Decker. “For nuclear, there is an environmental footprint associated with making the concrete and steel and during the construction phase, but you can then run it for the next 60 to 80 years with zero carbon emissions.”
The emerging role of small nuclear reactors
Canada has an opportunity to increase nuclear power generation to diversify the energy mix and ensure reliable, secure energy for the future.
In March 2022, the governments of Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick agreed to a joint strategic plan outlining the path forward on small modular reactors (SMRs).
SMRs are small in both power output and physical size, and typically produce 300 megawatts of electricity — enough to power 300,000 homes.
Unlike traditional nuclear power plants, components for SMRs can be mass-produced in factories and transported to the installation sites. This allows for scalability — the installation of more units as demand grows — and standardization, which leads to reduced construction time and cost.
Like traditional nuclear power plants, SMRs use nuclear fission to create heat, which in turn makes steam that drives turbines to generates electricity. This process does not involve combustion, which means no emissions are released during operation.
These features position SMRs as a viable opportunity to diversify Canada’s energy mix to both meet growing energy needs and continue ongoing efforts for emissions reduction.
75 per cent of engaged women support investment in technology and innovation to reduce emissions, and nuclear energy has the capacity to power innovative technologies such as carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) and improve the efficiency and sustainability of fossil fuel extraction and refining processes.
In January 2023, Ontario Power Generation announced a partnership with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, AtkinsRéalis (formerly SNC-Lavalin) and Aecon to construct North America’s first SMR at the Darlington New Nuclear Project site. Construction is scheduled to be complete by late 2028, and the unit will come online in 2029.
More recently, in January 2024, Capital Power and Ontario Power Generation announced an agreement to assess the feasibility of small modular reactors for Alberta, which will be completed in the next two years.
“Small modular reactors have the potential to play a major role in the province’s search for the right energy mix to supply clean, reliable and affordable electricity to Albertans,” says Nathan Neudorf, minister of Affordability and Utilities, Government of Alberta. “This partnership represents an exciting and important step forward in our efforts to decarbonize the grid while maintaining on-demand baseload power.”
Canada at the forefront
As a reliable, low-emissions source of energy, nuclear is poised to play an important role in Canada’s energy transformation and emissions-reductions efforts around the globe.
“Canada’s opportunity is fantastic,” says den Decker. “As a country, not only do we have our own reactor technology, we have expertise, manufacturing and fabrication capability — it gives us a strong capacity to not only build here, but also to export around the world.”
In addition to bolstering energy security domestically, Canada’s leadership in nuclear innovation — particularly in SMRs — could serve as a blueprint for other countries looking to diversify their energy portfolios.
Last week, Amazon said it would spend more than $500 million on SMRs. Google is in the same boat, saying it will buy electricity from SMRs.
By exporting both technology and expertise, Canada can help meet global energy demands while reducing emissions on a larger scale.
Canada’s nuclear sector also brings significant economic benefits, driving job creation in engineering, manufacturing and research and development. This leadership strengthens Canada’s presence on the international stage and reinforces its commitment to a sustainable energy future.