Saskatchewan Starts Nuclear Future with Long-Term Goals

Hunter W. — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:21:31 +0000

Saskatchewan has taken a major step toward a nuclear-powered future by starting a formal review of large nuclear reactor technologies. The move aims to secure reliable, low-emission electricity for the province’s growing needs and build on current work with smaller nuclear systems called small modular reactors (SMRs).

The announcement was made on January 28, 2026 by SaskPower and the Government of Saskatchewan. It explained that experts will now evaluate large nuclear reactors, the big power stations that have been used in Canada and other countries for decades, to see if they could work in the province’s power grid.

Energy officials say this review will happen alongside work on SMRs, which are smaller, factory-built nuclear units that can be added more quickly and cost-effectively to the power mix. Planning for large reactors will take place while the first SMR site is being prepared near Estevan, with site planning expected later this year.

Why Nuclear?
Nuclear power produces electricity without carbon emissions, and it can run steadily day and night, unlike some wind and solar systems that depend on weather. Saskatchewan’s energy strategy highlights the need for dependable baseload power as demand grows over the coming decades. Officials believe nuclear could help meet that need while also strengthening long-term energy security.

The provincial minister responsible for SaskPower, Jeremy Harrison, said nuclear power, both large reactors and SMRs, could help Saskatchewan use its own uranium resources and even export electricity in the future.

Long Timeline, Big Questions
Experts stress that building a large nuclear plant is a years-long process. Officials estimate it could take 15 to 20 years or more from early planning through licensing, siting and construction before a reactor begins producing power. That’s why Saskatchewan is starting assessments now, even though actual construction wouldn’t begin for many years if a decision is made.

Before any construction starts, regulators, Indigenous communities and local stakeholders must be consulted, and strict safety and environmental reviews completed. Decisions about nuclear power involve careful planning and public engagement because these projects are large and long-lasting.

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USask Satellite Built by Students to be Launched on June 3rd

Hunter W. — Sat, 03 Jun 2023 16:05:32 +0000

Have you ever heard of students making their mark on the world by releasing their own project into space? This project of University of Saskatchewan (USask) students will blow your mind.

How did a group of students launch their own project into outer space? For you to understand how, first you have to know all about the Canadian CubeSat Project hosted by the Canadian Space Agency. The Canadian CubeSat Project was designed to boost local youth interest and immersion in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math by including students in real-life missions that involve outer space. The Canadian Space Agency takes applications in and decides who are deemed most worthy of being given an opportunity to experience these space-related endeavors. Universities who are accepted into the program have the chance to craft a cube satellite of their own and launch it up into space.

In the fall of 2017, USask students alongside their advisor Dr. Sean Maw (PhD) signed up to participate in the Canadian CubeSat Project and was then welcomed into the project for them to conquer. The students were to build a satellite from the ground up in Saskatchewan province. The satellite was named the RADSAT-SK cube. The RADSAT-SK cube will be launched into an orbit of its own all the way in outer space on June 3rd of 2023, where it will be for about a full calendar year.

This endeavor was anything but easy. A group of USask undergraduate engineering students began the work needed to craft their own satellite cube all the way back in the spring of 2018. You may think that it was simply a small group of students who were a part of this project but that’s would be where you’d be wrong. The project has welcomed over hundreds of USask students adding their own touch to the Canadian CubeSat Project of their University during its consistent expansion ever since the development of the satellite cube began.

Now that you know how this cube came to be, what is it for? While the RADSAT-SK cube is in its orbit after it is launched, it will be collecting information about radiation coming from a USask campus ground station. USask professor Dr. Li Chen (PhD), alongside his team, who specializes in electrical and computer engineering, crafted and made use of a dosimeter board in order to assess space radiation the satellite would be handling. The purpose of Dr. Li Chen’s work is to discover a way to measure radiation that is less costly than current more well-known ways of doing so. In line with this, another form of research takes place with the satellite cube. USask College of Pharmacy and Nutrition’s Dr. Ekaterina Dadachova (PhD) and her team created a coating of fungal melanin that was put onto the cube’s board. The point of doing so would be to study if melanin may play a role in protecting the cube from cosmic radiation in space.

Set up for launch this June 3rd, this one-of-a-kind Saskatchewan satellite cube is sure to spark discoveries in the sciences that have never been explored before.

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USask student satellite to be launched to the International Space Station

The post USask Satellite Built by Students to be Launched on June 3rd appeared first on Saskatchewan Herald.

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Saskatchewan Starts Nuclear Future with Long-Term Goals

USask Satellite Built by Students to be Launched on June 3rd

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