Emily Whetung MacInnes was hesitant when Ontario Power Generation approached her community of Curve Lake First Nation for their input about building Canada's first on-grid small nuclear reactor .
Today, count Whetung MacInnes in as "enthusiastically supportive" of nuclear energy. She views SMRs as a solution to a low-carbon future. She mentioned her experiences in an online panel discussion hosted by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute last week headlined, Finding a good fit: Indigenous peoples and small nuclear reactors.
SMRs can provide reliable energy and heat but Whetung MacInnes also sees spinoffs such as locally produced, greenhouse-grown food production, better internet for on-reserve learning and employment, and also supply chain opportunities that can benefit First Nations."Energy security is extremely important in the North," said Richard Boudreault, chief scientist with the Canadian Space Mining Corp. and chair of the Regina-based First Nations University of Canada.
A variety of small reactor technologies exist, he explained. Most still need to reach the prototype stage followed by a decade-long testing process before there’s regulatory approval to operate.However, there are tried-and-true small reactor technologies in use on university campuses that produce power and are run by students, he said.
Willy spent a decade with uranium miner Cameco, as the point person of its exploration efforts. First Nation and Métis community engagement was prioritized. How this technology will be financed will likely involve a mix of private and public funding, he said, hopefully, with some form of national loan guarantee program, similar to the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corp.The inherent risk lies in the federal impact assessment processes and a desire to take the existing system and “blow it up.” That can lead to a period of uncertainty that can cause a flight of capital out of Canada if no one knows what the rules are, McCormick said.
RTG reactors powering remote lighthouses.... look up what the results were.
Horrible, horrible idea. Russia tried this year's ago with small reactors .... it ended badly. This would too.