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This week, we take a look at NexGen Energy’s new uranium mine in Saskatchewan - one of the world’s largest - and where it fits in a rapidly-changing nuclear landscape.

Elsewhere in climate tech:

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What happened: Vancouver's NexGen Energy broke ground on a massive new uranium project in northern Saskatchewan, capable of supplying 1/5th of global demand at full output.

The project is expected to come online by late 2030 and produce up to 30 million pounds of uranium annually.

The big picture: Nuclear energy is back at the cool kids table after decades of slow growth and political unpopularity.

Generation is projected to grow 2.6x by 2050, driven by electrification and AI data centres that need huge amounts of low-carbon power with high reliability.

Countries are also revisiting nuclear to boost energy security and insulate themselves from global energy shocks.

Why it matters: As nuclear ramps up, fuel supplies need to expand to keep pace. According to the IEA, 78 GW of nuclear capacity is under construction and uranium prices have almost quadrupled in the last five years.

Canada is already the second largest producer of uranium in the world, making up 13% of global output. The newly released Nuclear Energy Strategy calls for building 10 new reactors by 2040 and expanding uranium production to supply them.

NexGen's Rook I project could supply more uranium than most producing countries do today, delivering real capacity towards that strategy.

Putting the supply chain together: Beyond extraction, bottlenecks remain downstream in conversion and enrichment - and new reactor designs need new fuel types. Small modular reactors run on low-enriched uranium (3-5%), while advanced designs need HALEU (enriched up to 5-20%).

Capital is following, building out an ecosystem beyond reactors:

Almost all of that build-out is happening in the US accelerated by DOE pilot programs and hyperscaler demand. In contrast, Canada's processing capacity is focused on producing the unenriched uranium required for its fleet of CANDU reactors

The bottom line: Canada's uranium abundance is a strategic advantage. But as reactors designs evolve, it doesn't automatically translate into a strategic position in the fuel market.

Hydrostor secured $230 million in equity funding to advance its 7 GW pipeline of compressed air energy storage projects and move its flagship US project to financial close this year.

Enerpure secured a $49 million investment to commercialize its modular technology for converting used motor oil into marine fuel. Rice Investment Group led the round with Canada Growth Fund putting up more than half of the funding.

Questor Technology plans to acquire Emission Rx, a waste gas combustion service company, to expand field service, fabrication and customer base for its emissions reduction technology.

Mangrove Lithium closed a supply deal with lithium producer Elevra to supply 20,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate to Mangrove's conversion facility.

Questerre Energy received approval from Quebec to pilot subsurface carbon storage in the province - Quebec's first approved project for CO2 storage.

Invest In Farmers expanded its farm investment platform into Canada with backing from Verdex Capital, allowing retail investors to fund agriculture production.

Pathways Alliance announced a 2027 target to make a final investment decision on its CCS project in Alberta.

Kanin Energy started operations at its waste-heat-to-power facility at University of Dayton in Ohio, capturing waste heat from pipeline operations and converting it to carbon-free electricity under a 15-year PPA.

Kite Mobility partnered with rental developer Tricon Living to deploy shared EV rentals at communities across Toronto.

A new Indigenous-led alliance anchored by Acho Dene Koe First Nation and Malahat Nation will deploy energy storage and microgrid systems across Northern Canada.

DicinFoam launched a pilot plant in Vancouver to produce foam packaging material made from logging waste. The company is majority-owned by the Wet'suwet'en First Nation's business arm.

The story in corporate sustainability right now is all about retreat: voluntary pledges walked back, advocacy groups shutting down, banks dropping emissions targets. But underneath that noise, mandatory disclosure rules in the EU and around the world are creating obligations no company can undo with a press release.

That means ESG data needs to be as rigorous and auditable as financial reporting, and large companies are taking it seriously - even if they aren’t talking about it as loudly.

We sat down with Charles Assaf, CEO of Novisto, a Montreal-based company that's raised over $55M since 2019 to turn scattered sustainability data into a single, audit-ready system of record.

As disclosure regulation tightens globally, that infrastructure is becoming as essential to compliance teams as financial reporting systems are to finance teams.

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Trade war redux: Canada suspended trade talks with the US over deal terms that would have compromised Canada's sovereignty. The terms included giving the US right of first refusal for critical mineral exports and ongoing tariffs on Canadian auto parts.

Clean energy deal: The federal government is backing $70B in clean energy projects that could generate up to 14GW of power. Projects include upgrading the Churchill Falls hydro plant, building the Gull Island hydro project, and grid infrastructure.

Climate disclosures: Canada Pension Plan's investment fund rolled out new carbon intensity and energy transition governance indicators across its portfolio. CPP's reporting shows that institutional capital is taking the energy transition seriously, with real portfolio impacts.

Non-renewable data centres: Alberta introduced new energy rules for data centres that effectively block developers from powering projects with renewables. New projects need to meet their own energy needs - but only gas plants meet the province's reliability requirements.

Going small: Nova Scotia is accepting proposals for small-scale tidal energy projects in the Bay of Fundy. It's a pivot from the province's focus on large projects that could allow more projects to test before scaling.

🗓 Industry Connect Canada 2026 | Oct 27, Toronto. Bringing together over 150+ leaders from the cement, steel, mining, chemical, and oil & gas sectors to collaborate on energy costs, competitiveness, and deploying bankable decarbonization projects. Use code ICCACTC25 to get 25% off registration.

🗓 RXN HUB's 2026 Innovation Summit | Sept 23, Kingston. A one-day summit on nation-building projects and Canada’s next-generation solutions.

🗓 NY Climate Week | Sept 20-27, NY.

🗓 Energy Disruptors UNITE | Sept 28-29, Calgary.

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