Editor’s note: The two questions that come to mind reading this are (1) is nuclear power safe, especially when the infrastructure starts to age? And (2) will most of the subsequent inspections and reporting be left to what industry chooses to disclose?

By George Lee, The Macleod Gazette, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Nuclear reactors in your backyard — or down the road beside a humming new AI data centre — hold promise for rural Alberta, the legislature heard in advance of a Wednesday webinar on the subject.

The long-proven but advancing technology of unlocking the energy within atoms offers a safe and reliable option for Alberta’s power needs, a UCP member said last week.

“This is about building energy security, advancing innovation and life-saving treatments, and bolstering the industrial development that has made Alberta tick for the last seven decades,” said Chantelle de Jonge, MLA for Chestermere-Strathmore. “If we want to keep Alberta strong, growing and competitive, we must seriously consider the opportunity that nuclear energy presents to us today.”