ESTEVAN, Sask. — Site selection, timelines and other factors for small modular reactors (SMRs) in the Estevan area were among the topics covered during the Estevan Chamber of Commerce's latest coffee talk.
More than 60 people packed the Days Inn's Taylorton Room Oct. 7 to listen to a presentation from several SaskPower employees. Mike Dedman, the manager of SMR construction for SaskPower, did most of the talking. Joining him were Wes Cates, Travis Sandeski and Jamie Morley from stakeholder relations.
Dedman started by telling the crowd he started working for SaskPower 21 years ago at the coal-fired generating stations in Estevan and Coronach, spending four years between the two sites.
He later told the crowd that SMRs fit within the province's energy security strategy, announced in October 2025, as part of an "all-of-the-above approach."
Premier Scott Moe announced at a chamber event in May 2024 that if the government proceeds with SMRs, the first would be located in the Estevan area. The provincial government said in late September that it had selected a location along Rafferty Dam, south of Macoun, that would be the site for future study for two 300-megawatt SMRs to be constructed.
"It's humbling, exciting to get to be a part of this project," said Dedman. "The idea of building Saskatchewan's first nuclear power project right near Estevan is very, very exciting, but it also comes with a lot of responsibility. So, we need to think about that every day as we're planning and getting ready to perform work."
SaskPower has already performed some geotechnical work and environmental surveys, he said. It understands what the body of water looks like and that there is available water to support facility operations. The next step will be more investigation with site characterization and evaluation.
"We're going to go out there, we're going to drill more boreholes and we're going to do more studies on the water, the birds and the environment," said Dedman.
SaskPower will submit its initial project description, which he said goes to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) and really starts the process heading toward licensing a facility. Regulatory changes could be coming, he said, with the assessment agency and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). After submissions, the agencies will recommend studies that need to be done for the site.
SaskPower's internal regulatory team has an understanding of what needs to be done, he said, but the federal government will weigh in and ensure what it thinks needs to be done. Reports will lead into the first licensing application, which is the licence to prepare the site. Critical steps along the way will include going back to the government and the SaskPower board.
Site preparation will be the first activity at the Rafferty location, he said. It will include moving dirt and levelling. During that time, SaskPower will also be building and gaining more information about the site, so it will be monitoring the environment, the climate and other factors.
"What we're considering right now within that scope is levelling the site, drainage and the reactor island hole, so a lot of earthworks is planned for that site preparation phase," said Dedman, who later added special requirements will be needed for the nuclear island.
Once the licence to construct arrives, that's when construction will begin, he said, which means people will be in the Estevan area to support construction.
Before the facility is fully commissioned, a licence to operate is needed, Dedman said.
The regulatory timelines are a bit tricky, he said. Site preparation will take time. As for construction, he noted the SMRs under construction at Darlington, Ont., are expected to take 55 to 60 months.
"We continue to watch their schedule. We talk about being a fast follower, but you have to look at where they're at in the project and where we're at in the project."
During the site evaluation stage, tasks include environmental, social and technical engineering, which are guided by the CNSC and the IAAC. Social engineering will look at impacts on landowners, communities and Indigenous people nearby, how they used land in the past, along with cultural understandings. Geotechnical conditions will vary from other sites in the province.
Transportation will also be considered because SaskPower has to consider how it will get the workforce and equipment to and from the site. Emergency preparedness also has to be considered.
Engagement with fire departments and emergency services will be needed, Dedman said, and some of that work has already started.
Large nuclear reactors are also part of the plan, he said, and SaskPower is currently looking at the development of two 1,000-megawatt reactors in northwest Saskatchewan.
