Saskatchewan nuclear reactor plans spark push for work experience from industry

Because of that, Anderson said employees need to obtain numerous accreditations to work in the field.

“That’s what we’ve been working on; it’s not a new way of welding. It’s a new way of looking at the quality of welding and the paperwork that goes with it, as an example.”

The Saskatchewan Party government announced Tuesday that two nuclear reactors are to be built in northwestern Saskatchewan, with the first expected to come online by 2042.

Anderson said SIMSA members are currently working on certain CANDU projects in Eastern Canada to gain nuclear industry experience. He added that the organization is also exploring ways workers can gain nuclear experience in Saskatchewan before the reactors are built.

“You just start building up experience because you can’t replace experience. It’s one of those catch-22s. You have to get experience to get experience, and so we start working on small pieces here and there with Ontario right now, and then hopefully when things start up here, we’re ready to go.”

The provincial government said Tuesday that its goal is to have 2,600 megawatts of nuclear power generation on Saskatchewan’s grid by 2050, enough to power about 2.6 million homes.

Crown Investments Corporation Minister Jeremy Harrison pointed to that goal, saying it is part of Saskatchewan’s long-term power generation plan.

“In the nuclear space, it is really quite an assertive timeline. But we think it is a doable and realistic time frame as well.”

Harrison said SaskPower is seeing significant growth in power demand.

“That is a very good thing. That’s because we are having unprecedented investment coming into the province, which has consequently led to an increase in demand for power. We are very fortunate to be in a position to provide that power. A lot of jurisdictions are not in that position, so we are very fortunate. That’s a direct reflection of our energy security.”

He said Saskatchewan uranium will power the province’s nuclear future.

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by Abby Zieverink/CKOM

Saskatchewan nuclear reactor plans spark push for work experience from industry

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