By Colleen d’Entremont, Strategic Advisor, Atlantica Centre for Energy
The New Brunswick delegation, including representatives from NB Power, ARC Clean Energy, Moltex Energy and the New Brunswick government attended the Canadian Nuclear Association’s Conference held (in person) in Ottawa, April 13-15, 2022. With more than 900 participants overall, there was a palpable vibe in favour of Canada’s leading role with respect to the future of nuclear energy.
The conference offered an interesting mix of content from industry and government officials, including Federal Minister of Environment, Jonathan Wilkinson, the Premier of Alberta, Jason Kenny, and Ministers of Energy from Ontario, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, in addition to CEOs of various electric utilities, and their heads of nuclear.
Private sector announcements at the event included a new partnership between SNC Lavalin and Moltex. The partnership to move Moltex’s new technology development forward brings access to over 3,000 nuclear specialists at SNC Lavalin, among other notable benefits.
If there was a “show stealer” moment it was the enthusiastic Mike Holland, New Brunswick’s Minister of Natural Resource and Energy Development, and Todd Smith, Ontario’s Minister of Energy. The two were “all-in” on nuclear as part of the future of energy and gave enthusiastic deliveries at the Moltex announcement.
Panel sessions emphasized the collaboration between the provinces, in particular, at Bruce Power, OPG’s Darlington, NB Power and SaskPower all working together for next-generation nuclear development. Pan-Canadian support was clearly evident among the participants.
The importance of having nuclear as base-load non-emitting energy was a consistent theme throughout the conference. Its critical role in meeting future federal and provincial targets was not lost on anyone in attendance.
The highlight of the conference was a video released by the New Brunswick delegation showcasing the broad support and tremendous benefits of developing “new” nuclear.