Fueling the Future: How Canada’s Clean Energy Strategy is Driving Innovation
Canada's clean energy landscape and global leadership in nuclear power and nuclear safety.
How can Canada become a leader in the global nuclear energy market, and what steps is the government taking to address public concerns about nuclear safety and waste management?
Canada is a world-class nuclear nation, and nuclear energy plays a pivotal role in the Canadian and global energy mix. The sector employs over 89,000 people in Canada, contributes 15 per cent of our national electricity supply, and adds $17 billion to the economy every year. We have exported Canadian nuclear technology around the world, helping countries achieve energy security and avoiding over 30 million tonnes of pollution annually, and are the world’s second-largest miner of uranium, the primary fuel source for nuclear power. Our continued leadership in nuclear energy is one of the key reasons Canada has been an energy superpower for decades, and will continue to be for generations to come.
Today, we are leveraging this expertise to lead in the development of innovative technologies like Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), which offer safe, reliable, and low-carbon energy solutions.
Projects like Ontario Power Generation’s work on the deployment of SMRs at the Darlington, Ontario site and partnerships in Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, and Alberta demonstrate how Canada is positioning itself as a global hub for nuclear innovation. SMRs are particularly well-suited to providing energy for remote and industrial regions, opening up opportunities for cleaner power where traditional energy infrastructure is limited.
To address nuclear safety and the safe management of waste, Canada relies on the rigorous oversight of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and the Nuclear Waste Management Organization, world-respected bodies that ensure the highest standards for safety,
environmental protection, and emergency preparedness.
Canada’s commitment to safety, innovation, and sustainability ensures that our nuclear industry is not only a global example but a domestic asset that keeps energy bills low and provides jobs for Canadians.
How is Canada working to ensure that energy infrastructure investments, including those for renewable energy, nuclear energy, and energy storage, are future-proof and resilient to climate change impacts?
The federal government is actively working to ensure that energy infrastructure can withstand extreme weather events and changing environmental conditions, while maintaining reliable and affordable power for Canadians.
For instance, federal funding through programs like the Investing in Canada Plan supports projects that enhance grid stability and integrate renewable energy, and Natural Resources Canada’s Climate Change Adaptation Program co-funds projects that advance adaptation in the natural resource sectors and expand knowledge on the economics of adaptation.
In addition, the government supports energy storage technologies, such as battery systems and pumped hydro, which will ensure that renewable energy like wind and solar can power homes even when the weather isn’t cooperating.
Similarly, investments in energy storage, such as grid-scale batteries in Alberta and Ontario, ensure that renewable energy like wind and solar can power homes even when the weather isn’t cooperating.
By prioritizing innovation, durability, and resilience, Canada is building energy systems that can take on anything and keep the lights on.
How Hatch's Accelerated Training Is Powering the Future of Hydropower
Canada’s hydropower sector is growing as we strive to meet our net-zero emissions target by 2050. Hydropower — also known as hydroelectric energy — currently accounts for 61.7 per cent of Canada’s total electricity generation, and this is expected to rise to meet the increasing demand for renewable energy.
Despite the sector’s potential, hydropower poses a unique challenge: hiring and training the next generation of hydropower specialists is no small feat.
“The hydropower industry requires engineers with specialized skills across various disciplines, but the absence of a coordinated and a specialized educational program nationally, lack of awareness among students about career opportunities in hydropower, and the industry’s aging workforce create a gap that’s difficult to fill quickly,” says Rajib Ahsan, Director, Operations, Hydropower and Dams at Hatch, a global engineering, project delivery, and professional services firm headquartered in Mississauga, Ont. “This makes succession planning quite a challenge. And becoming a specialist in hydropower engineering typically takes about 12 to 15 years due to the extensive training and experience that are required.”
Proactively powering the future energy workforce
Hatch’s Accelerated Training Program aims to overcome these challenges. Created by the Hydropower and Dams team at Hatch, the program was designed to develop the company’s young, promising engineers and to upskill them at a faster pace to become technical leaders.
“Our Accelerated Training Program is guided by our Manifesto and led by top industry experts, combining group work, one-on-one mentorship, and real-life problem-solving,” says Ahsan. “It’s a journey that begins with foundational knowledge and continues as mentors stay connected with participants, helping them grow within projects for long-term career development at Hatch.”
Through the program, Hatch is proactively powering the future energy workforce. “The hydropower sector needs more professionals for future leadership,” says Ahsan. “We take succession planning seriously by training our staff and providing opportunities for them to take on stretch roles, which are roles that push participants to take on leadership aspects in projects. We also encourage our professionals to share their knowledge with the industry through technical papers, workshops, and conferences. We get them involved in professional associations so they can contribute to the wider industry and learn from it, too.”
Championing a lower-carbon future with hydropower
The Accelerated Training Program is a shining example of Hatch’s continued commitment to providing innovative, and sustainable solutions in the hydropower industry.
“Sustainability and innovation are at the heart of our work at Hatch, with solutions like our advanced FMEA tool for dam safety and our contribution to the field of concrete growth modeling with the development of the Alkali-Aggregate Reaction growth law, which are testaments to our commitment to providing sustainable solutions for complex challenges,” says Ahsan.
Hatch’s ongoing impact in hydropower — and its rich history — are undeniable. “This year marks a century of Hatch’s involvement in the hydropower industry, and we’re committed to continuing this legacy, staying at the forefront of innovation, and nurturing a workforce that will power a more sustainable future,” says Ahsan.
The company’s involvement in significant projects, including the Keeyask Generating Station in Manitoba, BC Hydro’s Spillway Gates rehabilitation, and the Central Hidroeléctrica 3 de Febrero Project in El Salvador, showcase its powerful technical expertise.
Mediaplanet sat down with Minister Wilkinson to discuss
Hatch’s Accelerated Training Program is rapidly transforming young engineers into leaders, powering the future energy workforce.
Tania Amardeil
Rajib Ahsan Director, Operations, Hydropower and Dams, Hatch
A Historic Step Forward: Canada’s Nuclear Waste Has a Home
Thanks to the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s leadership, Canada’s used nuclear fuel finally has a safe home.
Laurie Swami
Laurie Swami President & CEO, Nuclear Waste Management Organization
As countries increase efforts to reduce carbon emissions, the demand for clean energy continues to grow. In Canada, the federal government has made it clear that nuclear power plays a critical role in safeguarding our energy security and taking action to address climate change.
A necessary byproduct of generating nuclear energy is used nuclear fuel, which must be contained and isolated to protect people and the environment. There’s international, scientific consensus that the safest way to manage used nuclear fuel for the long term is in a deep geological repository — a network of underground tunnels and placement rooms.
A historic decision for Canada
Since 2002, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) has been working to create and implement Canada’s plan for the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel by containing and isolating it in a deep geological repository, built to a depth of nearly 700 metres, which is deeper than the CN Tower is tall.
Recently we took a historic step forward by selecting Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation and the Township of Ignace as the area for the repository, which will serve as the home for our country’s used nuclear fuel.
This is a historic moment for Canada.
This project, which was developed through dialogue with Canadians and Indigenous Peoples, solves an environmental issue for Canada and will help fight climate change.
But how did we get to this milestone?
From the beginning, we’ve said that this repository will only be built in an area with a safe site, informed and willing hosts, and in a way that advances community well-being as defined by the host communities.
We began the site selection process in 2010 and by 2012, 22 communities had expressed interest in learning about the project and exploring their potential to host it.
Building trust through community support
Over more than a decade, the NWMO narrowed the list of potential sites through increasingly intensive technical studies and engagement with those communities, their neighbours, and the First Nations in whose traditional territories the potential sites were located.
Identifying a safe site with a suitable rock formation was essential, and fortunately Canada is blessed with a lot of stable rock.
But one thing that sets this project apart is the NWMO’s commitment to willingness. We refused to select a site until the communities it will most affect confirmed that they support moving forward.
In other words, Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation and
the Township of Ignace made their decision before we made ours.
Both communities worked tirelessly to define their own processes to demonstrate willingness. Community members took the time to learn about the project, and this momentous decision couldn’t have been made without their dedication. We’re grateful to them and to the many other communities that participated in the site selection process.
A global example of leadership
Because of them, Canada’s used nuclear fuel will have a safe forever home. We won’t pass on the waste we’ve created as a burden for future generations to manage.
This decision is a clear demonstration of Canada’s leadership in creating a community-driven, consent-based process that works.
We’re also a role model for many other countries developing similar projects. The site selection process we implemented is a model for building a socially acceptable plan for the long-term management of used nuclear fuel. It’s also a reflection of our commitment to Reconciliation and ensuring Indigenous Peoples have free, prior, and informed consent.
The NWMO has agreed to an Indigenous-led regulatory assessment and approval process. This sovereign process will be developed and implemented by Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation to ensure that potential impacts of the project are assessed against Anishinaabe values and that appropriate risk mitigation is in place.
Share your voice
While this announcement is a historic moment for the NWMO, Canadians, and Indigenous Peoples, it’s not the end of the process.
This project, which was developed through dialogue with Canadians and Indigenous Peoples, solves an environmental issue for Canada and will help fight climate change.
We’re closing one chapter and beginning another — the regulatory decision-making process. This rigorous process will ensure that the NWMO’s understanding of the safety of the repository is independently confirmed both by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and through the Government of Canada’s impact assessment process.
As we begin the regulatory process, anyone who’s interested in the project will have the opportunity to have their voice heard. We encourage anyone interested to participate, share their questions, and learn more about the project as this process gets underway next year.
We look forward to hearing from you as we move forward with implementing Canada’s plan for the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel.
