ESTEVAN – Estevan has been selected as the location for the first small modular reactor (SMR) in Saskatchewan.

Premier Scott Moe made the announcement Thursday night while speaking at the 120th anniversary celebrations of the Estevan Chamber of Commerce. The Estevan and Elbow areas had been vying for the technology.

Prior to making the announcement, Moe alluded to his statement in Regina a few weeks earlier that the first SMR would “quite likely” be in Estevan.

“I’m here today to probably put a little bit of meat on that bone. Up until today, SaskPower’s been focused on really two regions on where they could locate an SMR,” said Moe.

But now SaskPower is focusing on one region, and that is Estevan, if SaskPower goes down the nuclear path.

“We don’t have a lot of other options, so that’s the path we’re most certainly looking at,” Moe said to applause from the crowd.

Boundary Dam and Rafferty Reservoir are now being considered as options.

“They’re going to consult and further do some testing on which of those locations will work,” said Moe.  

The premier predicted this would create a significant number of jobs during the construction of the SMR, and a number of long-term operational jobs at the plant once it is open.

The project still has to go through a rigorous review process expected to last for several years, and the facility isn’t expected to be operating until 2034.   

SaskPower has a significant amount of transmission capacity coming into Estevan, he said, and it’s the government’s intention to use it.