Canadian Minister: Nuclear to Play Role in Alberta Oil Sands

From The Calgary Sun:

Nuclear power in the oilpatch is just a matter of time, according to Canada's Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn.

Speaking to Sun Media from Victoria yesterday, Lunn said he's very keen to see a new partnership between Crown corporation Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) and a private Alberta company to build a Candu-reactor to power oilsands extraction.

"It's not a question of if, it's a question of when in my mind," said Lunn. "I think nuclear can play a very significant role in the oilsands. I'm very, very keen."

Having toured nuclear plants such as Bruce Power's station on the shore of Lake Huron, Lunn said he believes nuclear power can help replace natural gas and other fossil fuels currently being burned to help extract bitumen from the oilsands.

"On this specific file, I've had discussions this week," said Lunn, declining to give more detail. "It's absolutely emission free. It's CO2 free."

As we saw in November, this idea seems to be getting bipartisan support inside Canada.

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