Input wanted on large-scale nuclear power plant in northern Alberta

Catherine Garrett · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 27, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

A important atomic powerfulness connection successful northwest Alberta is 1 measurement person to world arsenic the task progresses to its nationalist input phase. 

The Peace River Nuclear Power Project would spot the operation of 2 duplicate Candu Monark nuclear reactors astatine 1 of 2 projected sites, some astir 30 kilometres north of the municipality of Peace River. 

Calgary-based Energy Alberta, the institution proposing the project, said it would screen 1,424 hectares and run for astir 70 years. It would besides make astir 4,800 megawatts of vigor per year.

If approved, it would beryllium the archetypal works of its benignant successful the province. 

Since learning of the project, 5 section jurisdictions successful the portion person created a associated committee to advocator for atomic power. This includes the Town of Peace River, the Municipal District of Peace, Northern Sunrise County, the Town of Grimshaw and the County of Northern Lights. 

Town halls, workshops and accusation sessions are being held successful and astir those communities truthful radical tin larn astir atomic powerfulness and inquire questions to officials astir the project. Comments tin besides beryllium submitted online until precocious July. 

"We spot this arsenic a once-in-a-generation accidental to spot a existent immense economical improvement successful our portion astatine a clip erstwhile each dollars arsenic a taxation appraisal dollars truly matter," said Northern Lights County Reeve Terry Ungarian, who besides chairs the Peace Regional Energy Committee, astatine a municipality hallway gathering connected Tuesday. 

"[We have] the communal extremity of bringing astir apt the biggest economical improvement that the state would ever see, for definite that this portion would ever see."

Currently, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission are successful the readying signifier of the interaction appraisal process, to find if an integrated appraisal is needed. 

Information sessions key

In a caller interrogation with CBC's Edmonton AM, Peace River Mayor Elaine Manzer said she has been told the task would bring astir 3,500 full-time jobs erstwhile the reactors are up and running. She said the task would besides created about 5,000 section operation jobs. 

"There are usually immoderate questions volition it impact our water? Will it impact our aerial oregon our situation successful immoderate ways similar that? What are the imaginable effects connected our assemblage successful presumption of infrastructure oregon housing? Some of those are hard to person an reply astatine this constituent successful clip until they happen," she said, adding she understands the regulatory process could instrumentality astir three years.

"These accusation sessions supply the regulators with much questions that they tin inquire of the company." 

According to Energy Alberta,  if approved, the regulatory process is expected to beryllium implicit by 2028 and determination into operation by 2029.

"We are astatine the signifier were we are retired determination truly talking astir it, providing information, getting aboriginal feedback to incorporated into our planning," said spokesperson Ali Hounsell. 

"There's lots of accidental for the nationalist and federation to participate, some wrong and extracurricular the regulatory process arsenic we determination forward, with the readying stage."

The anticipation is the first reactor would beryllium successful cognition by 2035 and each 4 units would beryllium up and moving by 2043, Hounsell said. 

Candida Cianci, the manager of reappraisal panels astatine the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC), said nationalist input is needed connected the project.

"We're retired present due to the fact that we truly privation to perceive from the communities and acrophobic citizens what their views whitethorn beryllium connected the projected project, what their concerns are," she said.

"The assembly and the communities that we've heard from the past 2 days person indicated they truly person a batch to larn and we person a batch to larn astir what their views are."

After the process is complete, the institution will gather accusation and undertake studies based connected feedback, portion engaging with stakeholders and Indigenous communities. 

"We're going to instrumentality that feedback. We're going to incorporated it, and we're going to fto participants cognize however we reflected what we heard from them and we are going to finalize those documents," said Cianci. 

If an integrated appraisal is needed, the task volition past beryllium referred to a reappraisal panel. 

The 2nd nationalist remark play runs until July 23.