Saskatchewan and Alberta vie for nuclear plant
09 May 2008
[Canwest News Service, 7 May] The Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan are competing to house western Canada's first nuclear power plant, Saskatchewan's minister of natural resources said. Speaking at a meeting of energy regulators in Calgary, Bill Boyd said: "We have had early, very preliminary discussions with Bruce Power about the potential in Saskatchewan." He added that Bruce Power has "indicated to us, as well, that the site selection might be more appropriate in our province, so we are interested in that and are looking at it." Boyd said that Saskatchewan, which produces about one third of the world's uranium, would welcome the investment in a nuclear power plant. He said, "We are comfortable with the science and we certainly believe it is something we want to take a look at." Noting Saskatchewan's extensive uranium resources, Boyd commented, "it certainly makes sense for us to take a look at the next stages of development, upgrading, refining and through to generation." He suggested that Alberta and Saskatchewan could pursue one project, located in Saskatchewan, which might be "complementary to both jurisdictions." Bruce Power has already identified Peace River in Alberta as a potential site for a nuclear power plant.