Bruce Power eyes northwest Sask. for nuclear plant

Bruce Power has identified a region in northwest Saskatchewan where it could build a nuclear power plant — an area that includes Lloydminster on the Saskatchewan-Alberta boundary, the Battlefords and Prince Albert.

Nuclear energy could add 1,000 megawatts of electricity to the Saskatchewan power grid by 2020, the Ontario-based company said in a feasibility study released Thursday.

A new plant would create 2,000 jobs during construction and 1,000 permanent jobs over 60 years of operation, the company said.

"Since the beginning of this process, we have been optimistic about the opportunity in Saskatchewan for a new nuclear plant that could create employment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions," Bruce Power CEO Duncan Hawthorne said in a news release.

"This study offers credibility to that optimism and gives us the facts we need to take the next steps."

Now that a region has been identified, the company will take a closer look at where it might build, the company said.

Officials plan to meet community and aboriginal leaders and hold more discussions with Saskatchewan's government-owned power company, SaskPower.

At a later stage, an environmental assessment would take place, the company said, adding that it could take up to three years to complete.