Small Modular Reactors, Big Interprovincial Deal

There should be some cause for optimism due to the announcement this past weekend regarding small modular reactors (SMRs). In that announcement, the Premiers of Saskatchewan, Ontario and New Brunswick revealed that they had entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to advance the development and deployment of SMRs in order to address climate change, regional energy demand and economic development.

Nuclear generation has been the backbone of Ontario's power supply for the last four decades and has kept our lights on reliably and safely. One of its strengths that has received growing attention in recent years is its low greenhouse gas emissions compared to those of other traditional power generation technologies. While nuclear power generation has had significant public opinion support in Ontario and New Brunswick, seeing that support move west would be a good outcome for the industry. Several eastern provinces' economies have benefited for years from the nuclear