Many people told the public consultation meetings that they're opposed to nuclear power and would like more information about alternative energy sources. (CBC)

A new report on the future of uranium in Saskatchewan has thrown cold water on proposals to expand the nuclear industry.

Dan Perrins, who chaired the public consultation process on the issue, says most Saskatchewan people who attended meetings and sent letters to him during the summer do not want a nuclear power plant in the province, a nuclear waste disposal facility or any expansion of the nuclear industry.

Perrins' report on the public consultations, called The Future of Uranium, was released Tuesday.

"Overall, while there is some support for nuclear power generation, the overwhelming response to this public consultation was that nuclear power should not be a choice for Saskatchewan," Perrins writes in the 143-page report.

The province is a world leader in uranium production but doesn't refine the radioactive metal or have any nuclear power plants.

'The overwhelming response to this public consultation was that nuclear power should not be a choice for Saskatchewan.'— consultations report author Dan Perrins

Perrins, a former senior civil servant hired by the government to gather opinions on the Uranium Development Partnership, spent weeks listening to hundreds of Saskatchewan residents talk about uranium development and nuclear power.

The government-appointed partnership has said Saskatchewan should include nuclear energy as part of its future mix of energy sources.

After Perrins compiled what he heard from people at public meetings, through email and letters, he presented his recommendations to the government in Lumsden on Tuesday morning.

He said his mandate did not include making his own recommendations about uranium industry development.

However, a clear theme of the consultations was that the public wants more information on such subjects as medical isotopes, Saskatchewan's energy situation and what SaskPower and the government are doing about alternative power sources, he said.

'When I look at this report, it's neither a green light nor a red light for the future of uranium development ... it's more like a yellow light: Take any next steps with great caution.''—Energy and Resources Minister Bill Boyd

"Whether it's people who were opposed or for … the need for better information, I think, would be something I could say is absolutely present," Perrins told reporters.

The government has said it will respond to the report formally in a few weeks, but Energy and Resources Minister Bill Boyd made some preliminary observations.

Boyd said there's no doubt many people who attended the consultation meetings oppose nuclear power, but they don't necessarily reflect the wider view.

Some public opinion polls have suggested more people are in favour of nuclear power than are against it, he said.

"When I look at this report, it's neither a green light nor a red light for the future of uranium development," Boyd said. "It's more like a yellow light: Take any next steps with great caution."

Perrins recommended the government outline all of the options for meeting Saskatchewan's future power needs, including nuclear, coal, solar, hydro, geothermal, biomass, wind and conservation.

That process is expected to begin in a few weeks — when politicians from the Saskatchewan Party government and Opposition New Democrats begin energy hearings.

However, the Opposition says the nine days the government has scheduled are not nearly enough to help people make important decisions about their energy future.

The Perrins report was written after a series of public meetings across the province in May and June that attracted about 2,600 people.

About 1,300 people wrote to express their views, he said.

The debate over nuclear power has been heating up over the past year amid interest expressed by companies in having a reactor in the province. A Bruce Power study said a power plant could work in several locations around Saskatchewan.