Saskatchewan has taken an important step toward a nuclear-powered future. This week, the province announced plans for at least 2,600 MW of nuclear generation by 2050, which would include two large reactors in northwest Saskatchewan and continued work toward small modular reactors near Estevan. Nuclear is expected to provide the reliable, affordable, emissions-free, and secure electricity needed to support population growth, new industries and major investment.
Canadians for CANDU applauds that ambition.
Saskatchewan is approaching this opportunity from an enviable position that few jurisdictions can match. It is home to world-class and abundant uranium deposits that sit at the heart of Canada’s nuclear fuel industry. Canada is the world’s second-largest uranium producer, with virtually all production concentrated in northern Saskatchewan.
The province has an opportunity to further leverage that resource advantage into reliable electricity, skilled careers, stronger supply chains, and economic growth—but the ultimate technology chosen will determine the multiplier of that growth. The technology Saskatchewan chooses will determine how much of that value remains in the province and in Canada.
Evaluating the Full Merit of Nuclear Technology Choices
Safety, performance, cost, schedule, and deliverability will all be important as Saskatchewan considers its options. So will the fuel and supply chains needed to operate those reactors for decades to come after they are built.
Different technologies require different forms of uranium fuel. The ultimate fuel choice affects how Saskatchewan uranium, or uranium enriched abroad, must be processed, the infrastructure needed to prepare it for use, and where the capabilities needed to keep the reactors running are located, and how it must be disposed of safely once depleted. Simply put, fuel is both a technical and energy security consideration.
Canada has unparallelled domestic capability across the CANDU fuel cycle, from uranium mining and processing through to fuel fabrication. What Canada is lacking is commercial uranium enrichment capability. Technologies that require enriched uranium as their fuel source require processing outside of the Canadian supply chain and outside of domestic control.
That matters when considering infrastructure that could operate well into the next century. The security of the fuel supply, the countries and suppliers involved, and the capabilities Canada controls all become part of the long-term technology decision.
Canadians are thinking about nuclear energy and its ultimate sovereignty in much the same way.
Recent public opinion research commissioned by Canadians for CANDU found that eight in 10 Canadians consider it critically important that Canada control its own electricity supply. A similar proportion prioritize nuclear technology that supports the most Canadian jobs, including engineers, welders, power workers and skilled trades. Seventy-two per cent say they trust Canadian nuclear technology more than U.S. nuclear technology.
The Saskatchewan results are particularly notable. The research surveyed 2,801 Canadians, including 530 Saskatchewan residents. After receiving information about different nuclear technology options, 78% of Saskatchewan respondents identified CANDU as their preferred technology for the province’s nuclear procurement.
Together, these findings highlight what matters most in a nuclear technology decision. Reliable power is essential, but so are energy security, skilled jobs, resilient supply chains, and the ability to retain expertise and economic value at home in Canada.
Connecting Saskatchewan Uranium to Canadian Nuclear Expertise
Saskatchewan already has the resource required to fuel Canada’s nuclear renaissance. The question is what happens to that uranium before it can be used to generate electricity.
CANDU uses unenriched uranium by design. Saskatchewan’s uranium can move through Canada’s domestic processing and fuel manufacturing infrastructure before being used in a CANDU reactor.
Technologies that use enriched uranium require a more complex and unique process. Saskatchewanians can mine and process the uranium, but enrichment must take place outside the country. That brings another international supply chain into the fuel cycle and creates dependency for the fuel needed to operate Canadian energy infrastructure. If that link in the supply chain breaks, the reactor cannot run, and no electricity can be generated.
This is the definition of “energy sovereignty”: having secure access to fuel, maintaining critical capabilities in Canada, and eliminating risk exposure to keep our electricity systems powering our homes and businesses.
CANDU provides a direct connection between Saskatchewan’s resources and Canada’s nuclear capabilities. Saskatchewan uranium can become Canadian-made fuel for Canadian nuclear technology, supported by expertise and a supply chain built here for over 70 years.
Maximizing the Long-Term Value of Saskatchewan’s Nuclear Investment
Saskatchewan’s nuclear plan is fundamentally about growth. Demand for electricity will continue to rise as communities grow and new mines, processing facilities, manufacturing operations, data infrastructure, and other major projects move forward. Its strategy also puts a clear emphasis on energy security, workforce and supply-chain development, Indigenous participation, and economic opportunity.
What Canada builds at home and what it can sell abroad are deeply interconnected. New domestic projects sustain the workforce, suppliers, operating experience and intellectual property that allow Canadian nuclear technology to compete internationally. The federal Nuclear Energy Strategy recognizes that connection, setting an objective for Canada to strengthen its position as a global supplier and exporter of nuclear technology.
For Saskatchewan, that gives the technology decision a wider economic significance. It will shape the fuel supply the province relies on, the industrial capabilities Canada sustains, the jobs and expertise created over decades and Canada’s ability to turn domestic nuclear investment into future export opportunities.
There is no question that Canada’s nuclear renaissance presents myriad growth opportunities for the country. For Saskatchewanians, the reactor technology chosen will determine the degree of that success and economic prosperity of their families for generations to come.
Saskatchewan’s nuclear plan is about growth, but the technology choice will shape much more than how the province generates electricity.
Canada has spent decades building its own nuclear technology, workforce and supply chain. Today, the sector contributes $22 billion to the Canadian economy each year and supports 90,000 direct and indirect jobs. CANDU has also been exported around the world, creating opportunities for Canadian expertise, services and technology in international markets.
What Canada builds at home matters to its ability to compete abroad. Domestic CANDU projects sustain the skills, suppliers, experience and intellectual property that strengthen Canada’s position in a growing global nuclear market. That connection is reflected in Canada’s Nuclear Energy Strategy, which identifies becoming a global nuclear supplier and exporter of choice as a national priority.
At a time when countries are moving to secure their own energy supply chains and back their domestic industries, Canada has every reason to do the same. Saskatchewan has the uranium, Canada has the technology, and CANDU offers the opportunity to put both to work here at home while building an industry that can compete around the world.
