PEACE RIVER — Bruce Power Alberta says it has picked the Whitemud site about 30 kilometres north of Peace River, as the “preferred option” for a potential nuclear power plant in the province.
The announcement comes after the company pulled its application in January to build a plant west of Peace River because some area residents felt it was too close to an acquifer in the Lac Cardinal area.
Bruce Power Alberta says the Whitemud site scored higher in a review than another parcel of land adjacent to Lac Cardinal.
But the company says both locations were deemed “viable options.”
The company says it will begin a formal environmental assessment of the site next year, pending a report from a government panel on the potential project.
Bruce Power, which is owned by Cameco Corp. (TSX:CCO), TransCanada Corp. (TSX:TRP) and other partners, plans to make a decision on where to apply to build up to four nuclear units before the summer.
If approved, the power plants would generate electricity for sale in Alberta and for export.