Alberta government opens public engagement on nuclear energy

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith answers a question from the media during the meeting of Canada’s premiers in Huntsville, Ont., on Wednesday, July 23, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

The Alberta government wants to know from Albertans how it should properly harness nuclear power to provide energy for families, businesses and communities.

On Monday, Premier Danielle Smith, Affordability and Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf and Parliamentary Secretary Chantelle de Jonge announced the province would appoint an expert panel to engage with residents and offer the public the chance to help pave the way forward.

“Alberta is at the centre of Canada’s growth, and with that growth comes the responsibility to secure the next generation of energy,” Smith said during the announcement in Calgary on Monday.

“Nuclear power has the potential to expand our grid, support new industries and keep pace with rising demand. This engagement gives Albertans a real voice in shaping our future, while positioning our province to lead the way in innovative, responsible energy development”

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Called the Nuclear Energy Engagement and Advisory Panel, the group of experts will gather input for the purpose of delivering a report with recommendations on how Alberta could build its own nuclear energy industry.

The members of the panel include de Jonge as well as:

• Deron Bilous, senior vice-president of Western Canada, Counsel Public Affairs;
• Tim Boston, principal, Boston Edge Strategies Inc.;
• Stephen Buffalo, president and CEO, Indian Resource Council of Canada;
• Rudiger Tscherning, fellow on Nuclear Law and Policy, University of Calgary; and
• Harrie Vredenburg, professor of Strategy and Global Management, University of Calgary.

The public engagement, called the Nuclear Energy Development survey, is open online and will accept responses all the way up to Sept. 25.

Back in July, Smith said her government planned to hold public consultations this fall on adding nuclear power to Alberta’s energy mix.

There have long been discussions about building reactors in Alberta.

Currently, the province is mostly reliant on natural gas for electricity.

Smith says nuclear power could be good for oilsands projects and provide a reliable and stable source of energy for Albertans.

She believes SMRs make the most sense.

SMRs generate about one-third of the power of traditional nuclear plants and can be prefabricated elsewhere before being shipped to site.

Canada’s first SMR is being built east of Toronto, with plans in place to build three more units at the same site.

The Ontario government says the four SMR units will create up to 18,000 jobs and inject $500 million on average annually into Ontario’s economy.

That project could serve as a blueprint for Alberta.

Engagement on nuclear power is expected to continue into 2026. A date for the final report has not been released.