FSN Seminar – Oct. 12 at 1 pm EST

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/jyITQpPYN74

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Canada’s Nuclear Energy Pathways to Net-Zero – Opportunities and Challenges

Robert S. Walker, PhD, FCAE

Senior Fellow, Institute for Science, Society and Policy, UOttawa

ABSTRACT: The past year or so has seen a dramatic shift in the national debate regarding the role of nuclear energy in the transition of Canada’s energy system to “net-zero”.  Instead of a debate on whether or not new nuclear should be part of the future energy mix, the focus has shifted to how much new nuclear and how to achieve it. The need and opportunity for new nuclear in Canada is unprecedented:  unprecedented in scale, with pathway models suggesting a need for 10’s of GW of new nuclear; unprecedented in pace, with the need to install this new capacity in some 25 years or less; and unprecedented in energy markets, with new nuclear poised to serve not only its traditional role in Canada for baseload power for provincial electricity grids, but for off-grid electricity markets, for hydrogen production, for district heating and for emissions reductions of industrial processes.

At the same time, the transition must address other important priorities, including energy security, system reliability, affordability and accessibility, other externalities such as resource and land use, all while addressing the socio-economic implications for Canada’s energy sector, economy and society.  

Nuclear energy will only part of the net-zero solution; it must be a part of an effective and efficient transitioned energy system.  Even with the contemplated dramatic increase in nuclear energy supply, nuclear energy would still only account for ~15-30% of Canada’s transitioned energy system.  Canada will also need to grow its energy supply capacity using other low-emissions and emissions-reduction technologies, effectively integrated with new nuclear to achieve system reliability, affordability, accessibility and sustainability goals.

This presentation will examine why the changing perspective on new nuclear in Canada, the status of efforts to achieve the new nuclear ambition and the challenges to doing so.

BIO: Robert Walker is an independent advisor and retired public sector executive.  He is a Senior Fellow at the University of Ottawa’s Institute for Science, Society and Policy.

From November 2010 until his retirement in September 2015, Dr. Walker was with Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, first as Senior Vice President Nuclear Laboratories and from October 2011 as the corporation’s President and Chief Executive Officer.  From November 2014, he was concurrently the first President and CEO of AECL’s then wholly owned subsidiary, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories.

Prior to joining AECL, Dr. Walker had a career of 33 years as scientist, manager and executive with the research and development arm of the Department of National Defence.  From 2005 until 2010, he was the Assistant Deputy Minister Science and Technology at DND, the Chief Executive Officer of Defence Research and Development Canada and the departmental Chief Scientist.

Dr. Walker earned a BSc in Physics from Acadia University (’73), an MEng in Engineering Physics (’75) and a PhD in Electrical Engineering from McMaster University (’77).  He has been awarded three honorary Doctorates. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, a recipient of the Canadian Forces Medallion for Distinguished Service and the Canadian Nuclear Association’s 2015 Ian McRae Award of Merit.