CALEB NICKERSON
PONTIAC Oct. 21, 2020
At the MRC Pontiac council’s virtual meeting on Oct. 21, the mayors took in a presentation from Global First Power (GFP), which gave an overview of the company’s plan to build a “Micro Modular Reactor” as a commercial demonstration at Canadian Nuclear Laboratory’s (CNL) site in Chalk River, Ont.
GFP was represented by Communications and Engagement Director Eric McGoey and MMR Project Director Rosalie Ahlan who gave a brief overview of the project’s background and . . .
where it’s headed in the near future.
GFP is a joint venture between Ontario Power Generation (OPG), a Crown Corporation responsible for about half of that province’s electricity, and the Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC), a Seattle-based company described as an “international technology developer.”
McGoey said that both he and Ahlan are employees of OPG, which would be taking the lead on project management, environmental assessment and public consultation, while USNC will be designing and supplying their “Micro Modular Reactor” technology.
CNL has invited organizations to submit proposals for small modular reactors, a type of reactor small enough to be constructed at one site and transported to remote areas.
“It has applications for remote mining and for remote communities, really what we’re trying to do at Chalk River is to build a commercial model for this technology. It’s all very well proven in a lab,” McGoey said. “This is about making sure that we can be cost competitive against diesel generation and against transmission.”
McGoey added that their project would only be a demonstration to prove that the technology works and is economically viable, compared to fossil fuel generation or the cost of building transmission lines to far-flung areas.
GFP is one of several organizations to put forward proposals, and its project was the first to reach the environmental assessment stage.
“The origins of this project really come from Chalk River Laboratories wanting to find a sustainable future for their site,” McGoey said. “The research reactor that they’d operated for many years closed down several years ago and they’re in the process of decommissioning that. I think they thought hard about what should the future be at this site? Given the number of researchers, PhDs, experts they had in nuclear energy at the site, and they settled on a vision for a clean energy park, not just small modular reactors, but hydrogen production and other technologies that are clean energy focused.”
Ahlan gave an overview of their proposal to build a 15 megawatt thermal reactor, which that translates into about 5 megawatts of electricity, or roughly enough to power a town of 5,000 people. The proposed facility would take up around the same space as three to four soccer fields, divided into two separate facilities: the nuclear plant and an adjacent plant that would convert the generated heat into electricity.
She also provided a planned timeline, which slates the construction to begin as early as 2023, but she said it could change significantly depending on a number of factors.
“There are so many uncertainties and dependencies on the detailed project schedule, we’ll continue to refine over the next two years,” she said.
Rapides des Joachims Mayor Jim Gibson inquired about the anticipated cost of the project, which McGoey pegged at around $180 million to construct the commercial demo.
McGoey added that they would be conducting public opinion research to gauge local resident’s thoughts and feelings on the project.
For more information on the project, citizens can visit globalfirstpower.com, email info@globalfirstpower.com or call 1-800-892-9504.
