Alberta County Divided Over Proposed Nuclear Plant

Amid nan sprawling canola fields, achromatic pine and jack conifer trees, fireweed and goldenrods of bluish Alberta, Pat McNamara is having a lawsuit of atomic déjà vu.

Two decades ago, he lived successful Port Hope, Ont., northeast of Toronto, successful a organization dealing pinch decades of atomic crushed contamination, including astatine his ain daughter’s schoolyard.

He has since moved to nan County of Northern Lights, halfway betwixt Edmonton and nan Northwest Territories.

When he learned earlier this twelvemonth that residents, notably farmers, hadn’t heard astir a projected atomic works for nan area — akin to 1 first projected 15 years agone — he wanted to dispersed nan connection that erstwhile things spell wrong, nan harm is generational.

“These group are building up those properties and those farms to manus down to their kids and grandkids,” McNamara said successful an interview. “They’re not going to beryllium capable to do that.”

While he sewage connection to nan public, his Northern Action Alliance pushed for nan county’s assembly to clasp a vote.

His efforts succeeded past period erstwhile a non-binding plebiscite showed much than half of voters opposed nan connection for a two-towered plant, nan first of its benignant successful Alberta, tin of powering 4.8 cardinal homes.

A astir adjacent number of voters besides said they wish to study much astir nan pros and cons.

Like overmuch of Western Canada, nan region was built by sweat-stained farmers, dirt-crusted lumberjacks and oil-rig roughnecks.

But nan region’s mighty Peace River, pumping retired billions of cubic metres of h2o into a sprawling drainage basin, makes it an perfect root for nan monolithic amounts of h2o needed by atomic plants.

That presents an economical opportunity that shouldn’t beryllium dismissed, says region reeve Terry Ungarian.

“(People) person travel to perceive each of nan bad things that perchance could spell incorrect and they’re not looking astatine nan full manufacture much objectively,” Ungarian said successful an interview.

“With each of nan information centres, pinch electrification of vehicles and nan organization maturation … there’s going to beryllium a immense request for electricity. This is astir apt a very bully replacement to look to.”

The institution down nan project, Energy Alberta, says it respects concerns for illustration McNamara’s. In August, it put nan task connected regulatory region pending further consultations.

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On its website, nan institution touts atomic arsenic a clean, reliable energy root providing low-carbon powerfulness successful hundreds of reactors successful dozens of countries.

Energy Alberta CEO Scott Henuset, successful a caller statement, said nan institution is eager to perceive from those pinch questions.

The wide thought itself is simply a spot of a throwback.

Ontario-based Bruce Power, genitor institution of Energy Alberta, projected a akin task for nan area successful 2008, only for it to beryllium cancelled aft residents based on its benefits weren’t worthy nan information risks.

As it stands, astir of Alberta’s powerfulness comes from earthy gas, but Premier Danielle Smith’s authorities has formed a sheet to reappraisal nan pros and cons of atomic arsenic it seeks to pull caller sources of powerfulness for projects for illustration information centres.

But nan reply isn’t coming soon. Alberta Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf has said if there’s an appetite for nuclear, it could beryllium a decade earlier a works comes to fruition, saying successful a connection a caller study “will pass early engagement activities.”

David Pickup pinch nan Pembina Institute, a cleanable power deliberation tank, said atomic has affirmative attributes, but it mightiness not beryllium nan measurement to spell successful 2025, particularly fixed Canada’s precocious costs of living.

Other renewable power sources — specified arsenic star and upwind — are importantly cheaper and return little clip to build, he said. A atomic works typically takes astir 15 years, but a wind, star aliases artillery works takes little than three.

“Nuclear tin work, but it has immoderate perchance large drawbacks,” he said. “It’s reliable to spot really atomic fits into those pieces successful Alberta.”

This study by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 15, 2025.