Feeding NB’s Growing Energy Demands with “Nuclear Batteries” | Olga Palazhchenko

Since COVID, New Brunswick’s population has surged, and so have its energy needs. New technologies, like AI and electric vehicles, are also increasing demand on the power grid, and that pressure is only going to intensify in coming years. With NB Power predicting an electricity shortfall as early as 2028, Dr. Olga Palazhcenko’s work on the next generation of nuclear reactors is becoming more important every day. She and her colleagues at the University of New Brunswick’s Centre for Nuclear Energy Research are working to make nuclear energy more convenient and safe so as to accelerate its adoption. Dr. Palazhcenko’s current research investigates ways to improve the storage and disposal of the fuel used in the next generation of nuclear reactors, Small Modular Reactors or SMRs.