The Voice - Summer 2021 - 51

INDUSTRY
Lisa McBride
Small Modular
Reactors to Power
Canada's Future
This article was written by Lisa McBride, Country Leader,
Small Modular Reactors at GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy,
and upcoming panelist at OSPE's Engineering Conference
Engineering the Future.
A
t GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, we are often asked
what the future of nuclear holds. How will nuclear
energy help Canada become carbon neutral by the
2050 target? Will more jobs be created? What is
nuclear energy's role in supporting Ontario's vision
of becoming a thriving engineering and technology energy sector?
The nuclear future is bright for Canada, and especially Ontario.
Advancements of time-tested nuclear technologies are poised to
bring new levels of affordable, carbon-free and reliable energy to
our homes, industries and commercial buildings.
This decarbonization journey was accelerated in 2018
when a committee of Canadian provincial and territorial
governments, industries and power utilities contributed to
Canada's Small Modular Reactor (SMR) roadmap. Published by
Natural Resources Canada, the report was a look into Canada's
carbon-neutral future. It also described the potential for a new,
job-creating industrial sector based on SMRs and was truly a
pan-Canadian effort. In December 2020, Canada launched the
SMR Action Plan, a plan to develop, demonstrate and deploy SMR
technology. This plan brings together key enablers from across
Canada-the federal government, provinces and territories,
Indigenous Peoples and communities, power utilities, industry,
innovators, laboratories, academia, and civil society. OSPE is part
of this consortium of partners that believes SMRs can be a source
of clean, safe and affordable energy, opening opportunities for a
resilient, low-carbon future that is able to capture benefits for
Canada while supporting reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
Carbon-Free Vision Closer to Reality
Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are a new class of nuclear
reactors that are considerably smaller in size and power output
than conventional nuclear power reactors, with enhanced safety
features.
SMRs are small: in both power output and physical size;
modular: meaning they are factory constructed, portable and
scalable; reactors: using nuclear fission to produce energy
for electricity, hybrid energy systems, district heating, water
desalination, and high quality steam for heavy industry
applications.
This technology has the potential for a range of applications.
From grid-scale units that can provide non-emitting reliable
electricity, to smaller units suitable for heavy industry, and
powering remote communities. Several provinces are actively
pursuing SMRs, and Canada's first SMR could be in operation as
early as the mid-to-late 2020s.
OSPE supports Canada's Small Modular Reaction (SMR)
Action Plan because nuclear energy is known to be an effective
way to reduce atmospheric emissions including greenhouse
gases. A review of major industrial jurisdictions confirms that
dependable low emission electricity can be produced affordably
with any combination of nuclear energy and hydroelectricity for
our base-load electricity requirements. When combined with
other technology options, including renewables and hydrogen,
new sources of nuclear power, like SMRs, will help Canada meet
its goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Without new
nuclear technologies like SMRs, our ecological future is less
certain. The good news is we are well down the road to making
the SMR Action Plan a reality in Ontario. GE Hitachi Nuclear
Energy (GEH) is providing Ontario Power Generation (OPG)
with information about our BWRX-300 SMR, including the
design process, licensing, scheduling and contracting options.
Notably, the BWRX-300 leverages an existing licensed reactor
design and certified fuel, while taking advantage of advanced
technologies, positioning it to be deployable by 2028 with lower
capital investments.
It is the 10th evolution of GE's boiling water reactor and is
the simplest, yet most innovative BWR design since GE began
developing nuclear reactors in the 1950s. Once in operation, the
SMR is projected to have up to 60 per cent less capital cost per
MW when compared with other typical water-cooled SMR and
large nuclear reactor designs.
June 2021 THE VOICE
51
The Voice - Summer 2021

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