Potential off-grid markets for SMRs in Canada

Small modular reactors (SMRs), with <300 MW_e power capacity (∼1000 MW_th), are being developed to improve the safety and economics of nuclear power and to expand the application of nuclear power beyond large-scale electricity grids. A key factor to improving the economics of SMRs is the ability to capitalize on the economies associated with replication. But to capitalize on these economies, there must be a market with demands for a sufficient number of the produced SMRs. The purpose of this analysis is to estimate the market for SMRs for off-grid applications in Canada. The potential market for SMRs in off-grid applications in Canada includes remote communities, remote mining projects, oil sands extraction and upgrading, cogeneration in a wide range of industries, and district energy systems. This study found that the potential market for off-grid SMRs in Canada consists of over 600 power plants, with a total power demand of 35 GW_e. Another important finding was that most of these power plants require an installed capacity of <5 MW_e. (author)