Using Nuclear Power to Extract Oil?

After several years of speculation, the Alberta government last month released a long-awaited “expert’s report” on nuclear power and the oil sands and has now embarked on a series of province-wide public consultations.

The move comes on the heels of a decision last month by Bruce Power, a private firm that operates a publicly-owned nuclear station in western Ontario, to seek approval to build a $10 billion nuclear station at a site known as Whitemud, about 310 miles northwest of Edmonton.
Bruce Power hopes to begin an environmental assessment next year. Its proposal calls for two to four 1,000-megawatt reactors, with three vendors – Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Westinghouse and AREVA – competing to supply the equipment.

According to the expert panel report, almost 90 percent of Alberta’s electricity comes from coal or natural gas, and demand is projected to jump by 74 percent within the next 15 years, largely due to the needs of the oil sands projects — which consumes roughly 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily.

At the same time, National Energy Board has projected a drop in long-term natural gas production in Western Canada, and continued oil sands consumption could turn the province into a net importer within the next few decades.

NY Times