US company eyeing AP300 reactor deployment in New Brunswick
Westinghouse Electric Company has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Pabineau and Eel River Bar First Nations Indigenous communities to promote Westinghouse technology for nuclear new build projects at the Port of Belledune in the province of New Brunswick, Canada.
The US company said the initial focus of the agreement explores AP300 small modular reactor (SMR) opportunities with local developers, including the Belledune Port Authority and New Brunswick Power, as well as industrial and data centre customers.
The Port of Belledune is a special development district on Canada’s Atlantic Coast.
Pabineau First Nation chief Terry Richardson said the SMR partnership with Westinghouse will benefit First Nations and the whole province of New Brunswick.
“The Port of Belledune offers a great opportunity with land and a deep-water port that gives access to world markets,” Richardson said.
Pabineau First Nation and Eel River Bar First Nation are both Mi’kmaq communities located in northern New Brunswick.
Pabineau First Nation is situated along the Nepisiguit River near the city of Bathurst, and Eel River Bar First Nation is located along the Eel River and Chaleur Bay near the town of Dalhousie.
As Indigenous rightsholders at the Port of Belledune, both communities work with the port to support regional economic development, Westinghouse said.
