Bruce Power, a private nuclear utility that generates about a fifth of Ontario's electricity, said Thursday it has taken a step that could lead to construction of Western Canada's first nuclear plant.

Bruce said it filed an application with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission for clearance to prepare a possible site in Alberta's Peace River district.

Bruce Power operates six reactors at a former Ontario Hydro site on Lake Huron.
(CBC)

A first reactor could be ready as early as 2017, and the plant could eventually have four reactors producing enough power to supply two million homes, a company statement said.

Nuclear power has long been discussed as a way to cut greenhouse gas emissions from Alberta's oil sands projects, where huge volumes of natural gas are burned to produce power and steam.

Bruce does not promise a plant will be built, however. Making the decision could take up to three years, it said.

Public meetings in April

Public meetings on the plan are to begin April 14 in the communities of Peace River, Fairview, Grimshaw and Manning.

"We recognize this is just one of many steps in a multi-year process of extensive community consultation and technical study, but we're excited to officially get under way," Bruce CEO Duncan Hawthorne said in the statement.

"Our first, and most important, order of business will be getting to know the people in the Peace Country, sharing our plans, answering their questions and understanding their concerns."

Bruce operates six reactors at a former Ontario Hydro site on Lake Huron and is in the process of restarting two more.

Once British-controlled, it was bought in 2002 by a group including TransCanada, the Calgary-based pipeline company, and Cameco, the Saskatchewan uranium producer.

Also on Thursday, Bruce said it has completed a purchase of assets of Energy Alberta Corp. relating to nuclear development.

Energy Alberta, a Calgary company incorporated in 2005, has what it calls an exclusive deal with Crown-owned Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) to bring CANDU nuclear technology to Alberta.

No reactor design chosen

Even so, Bruce said it has not chosen a reactor for the proposed Alberta site.

"Assessing several reactor designs is the best way to compare and contrast what the market has to offer," Hawthorne said in the statement.

"However, we are an all-Canadian company and the impact on Canadian jobs will be a big part of our decision-making process."