B.C. Conservative Party Leader John Rustad said British Columbians need to have a conversation about nuclear power as part of a push toward energy independence.
"This is part of the conversation — what is that cost?" he said Tuesday (Oct.1), when asked about the idea. "We need to be able to be honest with people in British Columbia, make sure they know what prices are going to be...what are the options, what are the choices that we have in front of us, what are the impacts on rates, how do we make sure that we keep life affordable for people in British Columbia?"
Rustad made these comments as he presented his party's energy platform near Squamish. It includes a commitment to a small modular reactor (SMR) operating by 2035 — "if, and only if, the business case makes sense, seismic safety is addressed, and the idea has the confidence of the public."
SMRs are smaller, less powerful reactors than traditional systems. According to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, three SMRs currently operate globally: two in China, one in Russia. A fourth is under construction in Argentina.
SMRs have gained some political support because they can be used in a less centralized fashion. Instead of one large system feeding a multitude of users, multiple SMRs can be used to power specific users, from smaller communities to factories. Supporters point to advanced safety features. Both the United States and the United Kingdom are pushing forward with plans for such systems.
In Canada, five provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island) along with Yukon — supported by Ottawa — are exploring and advancing the technology. B.C. has historically relied on hydroelectricity and has no nuclear power plants.
Nuclear power has seen some setbacks with the rise of cheaper alternative energies and environmental concerns. Germany, fthe world's third-largest economy, recently shut off its last nuclear power plant as part of a broader energy transition. Ironically, climate change has also hurt the industry. France, which relies heavily on nuclear power, has had to shut off some reactors because rivers cooling those plants were running too low.
But nuclear power has nonetheless experienced a revival in other areas. The UK decommissioned its last coal-fired power plant on Sept. 30 and is now counting on SMRs as part of that transition. A French company is building the UK's first new nuclear power plant since the 1990s with more in the planning stage.
David Schlissel, IEEFA's director of resource planning analysis, wrote in 2023 that the costs of SMRs have been significantly higher than originally forecast.
"SMRs are simply too expensive and too time-intensive to play a significant role in transitioning from fossil fuels in the next 15 years, especially when affordable and deployable renewables are already here," he said on IEEFA's website.
Other critics of SMRs and nuclear power point to the costs of transporting and storing used-up radioactive material, and the associated risk. B.C.'s high degree of seismic activity, especially near major population centres, poses more risk.
Rustad has issued this call at past events. His appeal also echoes language found in a July report released by the B.C.-based Energy Futures Institute chaired by former environment minister Barry Penner. It notes B.C.'s current prohibition against nuclear power and calls for another look.
"(Given) B.C.'s ambitious GHG reduction legislation, rapidly increasing electricity demand and advances in nuclear power technology, along with its ability to provide a stable and low-carbon energy source at scale, the province may need to reassess this stance," it reads.
The public is also starting to pay attention. A September Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of the Energy Futures Institute finds 58 per cent of survey participants in favour of reviewing restrictions on nuclear power.
The Conservative platform calls for an end of "radical plans" by the B.C. NDP to ban natural gas as a stand-alone home heating source by 2030 in new homes. It would also roll back the requirement that all new automobile sales must be zero-emission vehicles by 2035.
Other elements call for speeding up B.C. Hydro's 10-year transmission and distribution capital plan and supporting the development of alternative renewable energy "where and when the economics make sense" for B.C. including wind, solar and run-of-river hydroelectricity.
Rustad said B.C. stands "at a crossroads" when it comes to energy. He said the current system is unable to meet future needs independently, with 17 per cent of B.C.'s energy coming from outside the province.
Josie Osborne, B.C. NDP candidate for Mid Island-Pacific Rim, questioned Rustad's proposals.
“We’ve worked hard to get hydro costs under control and make sure electricity is affordable for people and businesses,” she said. “John Rustad’s plan to build nuclear reactors and gas-fired plants would drive up electricity costs for families."
