Sustainability in Impact Assessment

Abstract

As Saskatchewan’s leading energy provider, Saskatchewan Power Corporation (SaskPower) maintains and operates a large fleet of electricity generation facilities. SaskPower is evaluating its long-term electricity supply strategy to meet a net-zero emissions target.

Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are being assessed as a viable technology that can support the long- term goal of producing reliable power with zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In March 2021, SaskPower’s Board of Directors approved the start of the planning phase for the SMR project.

SaskPower will be required to demonstrate how the project will contribute to sustainability, as mandated under the Impact Assessment Act of 2019. Sustainability assessments have a limited history of practice. However, sustainability assessment can provide nuclear impact assessments with a framework that is grounded in community values and socio-ecological objectives that may be missed without it. This paper will describe the theoretical underpinnings of sustainability assessment and the objectives-based sustainability methodology that SaskPower is utilizing, employing insights from both engagement and best practice approaches.

The sustainability assessment presents a major opportunity to develop an assessment framework that emphasizes concerns important to stakeholders and rightsholders. Additionally, it moves the focus of assessment away from adverse effects, and towards considering the project’s overall contributions to the ambitions of the community and to meet governmental objectives like climate change.