Read the full article at CTV News. Excerpt below:
Saskatchewan’s nuclear research sector is getting a big boost from both the federal and provincial government.
Through SaskPower, $4 million will be invested to help the University of Regina establish Western Canada’s first small modular reactor (SMR) safety, licensing and testing centre. Ottawa is also pumping $1.96 million into the build, while the province is adding $1 million of ‘in-kind’ investment by providing the space for the facility for free.
At the centre, researchers will use two different test loops to simulate real-world SMR conditions.
Putting the system through various different tests, they will be able to analyze the data it produces and better understand what an SMR may be able to do.
“Fundamentally, you’ve got two loops filled with water. They’re pressurized, they’ve got a certain flow rate going through them,” said Arthur Situm, the university’s research chair of SMR safety and licensing. “You’re looking at how two components are behaving.”
The creation of the facility also brings nuclear research and development into the province ahead of its goal to build an SMR in Saskatchewan.
“It’s fantastic,” Situm said. “These types of test facilities are something that was really the role of Western Canada within the nuclear supply chain for a long time.”
“The scaling analysis that goes into making it as close to the actual conditions you can get is very tricky and very, very precise,” he added.
This test facility will create 18 direct jobs and support 10 small businesses, the university says.
Situm hopes bringing nuclear research into the province opens the door for essential training in the sector on the home front.
“Being able to build up the talent beforehand really well positions the overall province to make good on its investment when that actually if it comes to place,” he said. “It ensures you’ve got suppliers and knowledge in the local ecosystem in place, well before you make that final investment decision to maximize the dollars that you’re spending.”