Globe Climate: Can floating nuclear power plants serve remote Northern communities?

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The Ehattesaht First Nation was immersed in the drama surrounding a trapped, orphan killer whale calf. But for Ashley John, travelling to the lagoon to meet the whale named Kwiisahi?is wove together her need to help the lost young animal with her grief for her lost sister, Kayla.

The Ehattesaht are part of the Nuu-chah-nulth tribe, which is guided by the principle of hishuk ish tsawalk, or “everything is one.” Feeling a spiritual connection with all living things is at the core of their culture. Deep meaning is felt in the timing of Kwiisahi?is’s departure with the anniversary of Kayla’s death.

“I had this incredible feeling of her being free, and Kwiisahi?is being free as well,” Ms. John said. “My heart is happy.”

Yesterday, the community gathered for a march as part of Red Dress Day, which honours the thousands of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada.

Now, let’s catch you up on other news.

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Noteworthy reporting this week:

1. Plastic treaty: Plastic production cap remains contentious as treaty talks open door for agreement
2. TMX pipeline: After years of delays and cost overruns, the $34-billion Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project finally opens
3. Power projects: Carbon capture plan faces doubts after Capital Power cancels $2.4-billion project
4. Emissions: Greenhouse-gas emissions falling, but oil-sands emissions continue to climb, federal report says
5. Firefighting: Wildland firefighters call for change on frontlines of forest fire fight as season ramps up
6. Analysis: Endless freeze of federal clean-tech agency is crushing Canadian startups
7. Electricity: EVs aren’t burdening Canada’s electricity grids – yet
8. Green investing: Imperial Oil shareholders reject proposal to disclose effects of energy transition
9. The Narwhal explains: B.C.’s second-largest LNG project is one you’ve probably never heard of

A deeper dive

Can floating nuclear power plants help solve Northern Canada’s energy woes?

The nuclear industry is seeking to establish a beachhead in Canada’s North with a proposed floating nuclear power plant to serve remote Indigenous communities.

Diesel is the only way to keep the lights on in many remote Arctic towns. Diesel-fired plants can respond rapidly to shifting demand and have also proved dependable in harsh environments.

But diesel is unpopular because of its high emissions and the challenges with shipping it to far-flung places. The plants emit sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter – impairing local air quality – along with greenhouse gases. Leaks and accidental spills occur frequently.

This nuclear project wants to offer a greener option – but first it has to assuage safety and cost concerns and compete with renewables.

Westinghouse, a U.S.-based reactor vendor, has partnered with Prodigy Clean Energy, a Montreal-based company, to develop a transportable nuclear power plant. They market it as a solution for delivering small modular reactors (SMRs) for coastal applications. Prodigy’s plant promises to address many of diesel’s shortcomings – emissions, in particular – while replicating its desirable features.

In March, Prodigy announced it had reached an agreement with Des Nëdhé Group, a development corporation of the English River First Nation in northern Saskatchewan. Des Nëdhé's task will be to engage with First Nations, Inuit and Métis across Canada on potential installations.

But even as Prodigy moves ahead, many questions remain.

For example, SMRs are often marketed as producers of clean energy, but this overlooks their radioactive wastes: Being saddled with a floating radiological hazard on its shoreline could be a worst-case scenario for a Northern community. If radioactive waste did become stranded in the North, or a serious accident occurred, who would be responsible?

Also, there are still no cost estimates available. How would a community afford one of the most expensive options for generating power? How would they manage security of the plant? How far can renewables even can go in replacing diesel?

As the two nuclear partners race to commercialize their transportable nuclear plant, a few Northern communities are already using renewables such as wind and solar to reduce diesel consumption. Will floating nuclear power plants be ready in time, or is it just a nuclear energy fairy tale?

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What else you missed

• G7 offers leeway to Germany, Japan in deal to quit coal by 2035
• Environmental groups criticize Ottawa walk-back on pollution impact assessment
• Over 500 baby sea turtles washed ashore in a big storm off South Africa. Here’s the rescue effort
• The future is near for self-driving trucks on U.S. roads
• Alberta government to partially fund facility to test geothermal drilling techniques
• Wild orangutan uses medicinal plant to treat wound, scientists say
• TransAlta cancels wind power project over new government rules on development
• Floods in southern Brazil kill at least 75 people over seven days, with 103 people missing

Opinion and analysis

Jean Chrétien and Mike Harris: Nuclear tech isn’t all the same, and there’s a specific type Canada must focus on

Julie Segal and Rosa Galvez: Canadian banks are not fighting climate change on their own. They must be legislated

Kelly Cryderman: All aboard Alberta’s new passenger-rail plan

Campbell Clark: A glass half-full of emissions reductions

Preston Manning: Natural resources are more important to the economy than city dwellers realize

Roseann O’Reilly Runte: Canada, a natural-resources economy, must remember our greatest resource is our people

Green Investing

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Power Corp.’s sustainable-investing arm gains familiar new shareholder

Power Sustainable, the $3-billion sustainable-investing arm of Power Corp. that invests in renewable energy, green infrastructure and agrifood companies, was set to announce today that Great-West Lifeco has signed on as a minority shareholder. Great-West, the insurance provider, is also a subsidiary of Power Corp., the holding company of Montreal’s Desmarais family.

Under the deal, Great-West will commit to investing in Power Sustainable’s funds in the coming years, the companies said in a statement. Power Corp. will remain the majority owner of the sustainable-investing enterprise, which is led by Olivier Desmarais, its chairman and chief executive officer.

• Advisory Glass Lewis recommends Shell investors oppose shareholder climate resolution at AGM
• Warren Buffett’s PacifiCorp utility singed by wildfires

Making waves

Do you know an engaged individual? Someone who represents the real engines pursuing change in the country? Email us at GlobeClimate@globeandmail.com to tell us about them.

Photo of the week

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Guides and Explainers

• Want to learn to invest sustainably? We have a class for that: Green Investing 101 newsletter course for the climate-conscious investor. Not sure you need help? Take our quiz to challenge your knowledge.
• We’ve rounded up our reporters’ content to help you learn about what a carbon tax is, what happened at COP28 and just generally how Canada will change because of climate change.
• We have ways to make your travelling more sustainable, and here are books to help the environmentalist in you grow, as well as a downloadable e-book of Micro Skills - Little Steps to Big Change.

Catch up on Globe Climate

• So Canada bought a pipeline. Now what?
• Canada’s bird watchers are also observing climate change
• Why Norway is feeding Arctic foxes dog food
• We are all part of the eclipse cosmic community

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