SASKATOON — The Saskatchewan Environmental Society is urging the provincial government to abandon its plans to pursue nuclear energy and instead invest in renewable sources that it says are more efficient and offer a cheaper, faster and safer way to meet the province’s electricity needs.
SES directors Peter Prebble and Bob Halliday, and Coalition for a Clean Green Saskatchewan representative Karen Weingeist, said Monday, July 8, that soaring costs, construction delays and financial uncertainty have plagued nuclear projects across North America and Europe.
They were united in saying the provincial government risks burdening taxpayers and SaskPower with billions of dollars in debt, even as proven renewable technologies continue to become more affordable.
Prebble said economics overwhelmingly favour renewable energy over small modular reactors, which the provincial government plans to fund, adding that the cost of building a 300-megawatt wind farm is one-tenth of the cost of the proposed small modular nuclear reactor.
"You can very, very easily, for $700 or $800 million, achieve 300 megawatts of pretty reliable power, in contrast to the enormous cost of $6 or $7 billion for a nuclear reactor," said Prebble, who warned Saskatchewan that Ontario's first SMR project cost has climbed to $7.7 billion.
He added that the province should delay any nuclear investment until the technology has been proven elsewhere, invest the money in other proven technologies, and see how the SMR performs before considering any nuclear power investment whatsoever.
Prebble said Saskatchewan, rather than relying only on wind and solar energy sources, should also develop a diversified electricity system that includes battery storage, industrial cogeneration, conservation and stronger transmission links with Manitoba.
He noted that battery storage is becoming increasingly affordable and can help offset the intermittent nature of renewable generation. At the same time, hydroelectric imports from Manitoba could provide reliable backup power during peak demand periods.
Prebble said renewable energy technologies have matured to the point where they can reliably meet Saskatchewan's needs at a much lower cost than nuclear generation, adding that the province has some of Canada's strongest wind, solar, battery storage and cogeneration resources.
He said these alone can address reliability concerns. Unlike nuclear plants, hydroelectric and natural gas facilities can quickly adjust their output to complement renewable generation, whereas nuclear reactors are designed to operate continuously.
The organization also criticized the province's broader electricity strategy, arguing that refurbishing coal-fired power stations while planning an eventual transition to nuclear power could saddle SaskPower with tens of billions of dollars in additional costs.
Prebble said their message is to focus public investment on affordable, flexible technologies, warning the provincial government that investing heavily in nuclear projects would leave little funding for renewable technologies that are already commercially proven and rapidly deployable.
