PCs Promote Potential Of Small Nuclear Reactors
SAINT JOHN – A bit of deja vu on the Saint John waterfront with the New Brunswick Progressive Conservative party singing the praises of small modular reactors.
Liberal leader Kevin Vickers recently made a pro-SMRs announcement in the same location.
PC Leader Blaine Higgs said the PCs have a plan to further develop SMRs noting a memorandum of understanding signed last year with the provinces of Ontario and Saskatchewan.
“It could also drive economic growth and export opportunities as these technologies are further adopted across the country and around the world,” Higgs said.
PC candidate and former Energy Minister Mike Holland said discussions at the federal level on this technology have a “colour-blind nature” and he’s encouraged about where it’s heading.
Higgs said a re-elected PC government would recruit workers to build the SMR sector in the province.
He noted one technology involving SMR’s uses spent fuel consuming waste that was problematic for CANDU reactors.
On Monday, Higgs was asked when this technology may be in place.
“We’ll say five to 10 years we could actual activity here in developing and building because one technology has a prototype that’s been operating for 15 or 20 years,” Higgs said
Blaine Higgs said there is a lot of agreement from the federal government for a pan-Canadian solution and SMR’s will bring that forward.
“That is the big buy-in and that is the big shift and you will see in the coming weeks, an investment announcement and you will see the major people who are involved to make this work and the focus point is right here in New Brunswick,” Higgs said.
Higgs said global estimates have small modular reactors bringing in $150-billion a year by 2040.
Tamara Steele is a reporter with Country 94/97.3 The Wave, Huddle content partners.