Ottawa has approved a $27.2 million subsidy to build prototypes of small nuclear reactors for use in the Arctic..Blacklock’s Reporter says on Thursday the Department of Industry approved the subsidy, which will be used to build reactors the size of a small shipping container. .The funding follows a 2018 report stating Canada must promote nuclear power for the sake of climate change..“We are laying the foundation for a better and more prosperous climate oriented future,” said a statement from Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, whose office would not specify whether the reactors will be manufactured in Canada..The subsidy was awarded to Westinghouse Electric Canada Ltd — owned by a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management Inc of Toronto — which has said it plans to manufacture small reactors by 2029. .In a 2021 feasibility study, the company said its eVinci Micro Reactor is “a nuclear battery, not a power station” with a 40-year lifespan..“It is about changing how we transform the energy sector and move away from traditional forms of subsidy and support to those that reflect what government projects will look like,” Shawn Tupper, associate deputy minister of natural resources, said at the Commons natural resources committee on March 22, 2021..The development of small reactors was “quite significant” for federal regulators, Tupper said, adding, “It is a component of what keeps Canada at the forefront of the small modular reactor file.”.He also said the industry anticipates up to a $300 billion marketplace on the small modular reactor side..Nuclear energy is a minor contributor to Canada’s electricity supply nationwide, about 15%, but powers 60% of Ontario and a third of New Brunswick. .“Decisions in the next year will determine whether Canada will lead or cede the emerging global small modular reactor market,” the Department of Natural Resources wrote in a 2018 study, in which regulators demanded “early action on demonstration deployment” of the devices..Diesel generators are the mainstay of Arctic power supplies, but the public is skeptical of nuclear power in jurisdictions where it’s not used, the study found. .“In provinces where civil society, policy makers and regulators have less experience with nuclear power, public opinion is significantly less supportive,” wrote staff. The report said installation of prototype reactors in the Arctic would create 60,000 jobs by 2024, but did not estimate upfront costs..“Like any new, innovative technology, first-of-a-kind projects carry more risk and face higher costs.”.Rachel Emmanuel is an Ottawa Parliamentary reporter for the Western Standard
