Tiverton, Ontario: Bruce Power, MIRARCO Mining Innovation and Laurentian University announced the signing April 6 of a Memorandum of Understanding that will enhance strategic research opportunities, including the long-term potential for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) to generate electricity in rural/remote regions.
The five-year, $1 million research agreement will create an Industrial Chair position at MIRARCO Mining Innovation, which will further highlight opportunities in sustainable and clean energy solutions in Ontario’s north, bringing an enhanced perspective to the university’s current research.
MIRARCO Mining Innovations is currently working with Laurentian on sustainable energy solutions in mining and remote communities.
Mike Rencheck, Bruce Power’s President and CEO, said the company has great interest in the developing field of SMRs and is participating in the Natural Resources Canada efforts to create an ‘SMR roadmap’ for deployment of new, long-term, clean energy supply options. These clean, low-cost, innovative nuclear technologies could play a role in safely powering the most remote northern communities that don’t have adequate electrical grid infrastructure, he added.
“Right now, some of the most remote northern communities are serviced by diesel generators and other unsustainable methods that could be replaced by Small Modular Reactors, or other low-carbon energy sources,” Rencheck said. “Bruce Power wants to be at the forefront of nuclear power’s future, and, by joining forces with the sustainable energy research community, we can help to guide and focus their efforts as SMRs become a viable option for these communities.”
The collaboration is a continuation of the work Bruce Power has already been doing in the area, when it committed $5 million in funding in 2016 to the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) to conduct health research, specifically in relation to radiation and the environment, Rencheck added.
Nuclear Energy Insider reported May 16 that Ontario Power Generation sees a potential of up to 2 GW of capacity that SMRs could provide to mining operations in Ontario’s Ring of Fire development, according to comments by Jeff Lehman, OPG’s Vice President, New Nuclear Development.