The University of Alberta is set to become the new home for nuclear innovation following a $5-million provincial investment in a visionary made-in-Canada energy project.
The funding, awarded by the Government of Alberta to the Canadian Strategic Missions Corporation (CSMC), will support a $10-million initiative to commission the construction of an unfuelled prototype of a nuclear reactor for research and teaching. The unfuelled reactor will be a physical simulator that can produce electricity and heat the same as a fuelled nuclear reactor, but contains no uranium and poses no radiation risks.
“Nuclear power is quickly becoming a crucial component of the world’s energy landscape,” says Aminah Robinson Fayek, U of A vice president (research).
“This unfuelled prototype will help demystify the way this technology can be used to deliver sustainable, reliable power, while collecting feedback from researchers and community stakeholders to enhance this technology for future use.”
As jurisdictions around the world look to diversify energy grids, factory-built microreactors are emerging as a way to secure energy resilience. The partnership between the U of A and CSMC will advance research aimed at providing steady, emissions-free electricity for northern communities and industrial sites, like mines, that currently rely on diesel.
“A new research reactor with the University of Alberta will be a foundational block for the entire nuclear energy industry in Alberta,” says Daniel Sax, CEO and founder of CSMC.
This project will also help strengthen national defence by developing sovereign energy solutions that can power military bases or critical infrastructure in challenging environments, while creating an unrivalled training potential for tomorrow’s workforce, through a hands-on system for academic student training and a newly launched master of engineering program.
By hosting the prototype at the U of A, CSMC can quickly validate their designs, helping Canada keep pace with global leaders like the United States in the race for advanced nuclear power.
As a national leader in dual-use technologies with deep experience with small nuclear reactors, the U of A is an ideal partner to advance this research safely and for the benefit of all Albertans.
A small nuclear reactor used to create medical isotopes operated on North Campus for 40 years before being decommissioned in 2017.
Besides facilitating research on technical challenges of this technology and laying the foundation for possible future full-scale commercial adoption of nuclear fission power in Alberta, U of A project lead Ying Tsui, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and a researcher with the Advanced Nuclear Energy Initiative, sees this project as a learning tool.
“Remote communities that could really benefit from a microreactor can now see what it looks like, get an idea of how to operate it and just become more comfortable with this technology,” says Tsui.
He adds, “This partnership is a significant step for elevating the reputation of the U of A's nuclear energy research and also strengthening the university’s reputation as the national leader in energy systems research and education.”
Founded in 2020, CSMC is a Canadian space and defence company advancing innovation in microreactor systems, energy resilience and dual-use technologies to support Canada's strategic missions on Earth and beyond.