Alberta is racing to attract AI data centers with promises of abundant energy, but a critical bottleneck threatens to derail the plan: the province has almost no nuclear workforce to build and operate the reactors needed to power them. A new report from the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) reveals that while Alberta and Saskatchewan have long discussed nuclear energy, neither province has developed the engineering talent, training programs, or infrastructure that Ontario has built over decades.

The timing is urgent. Data center electricity demand in the United States is projected to more than double from 31 gigawatts in 2025 to 66 gigawatts by 2027, driven almost entirely by artificial intelligence (AI) workloads. Canada is experiencing the same surge. Small modular reactors (SMRs), compact nuclear plants that can be deployed faster than traditional reactors, are emerging as the preferred solution to power these energy-hungry facilities without relying on fossil fuels. But deploying SMRs requires people who know how to build, operate, and maintain them, and Alberta simply does not have that talent pool yet.

Why Does Alberta Lack a Nuclear Industry Despite Being an Energy Powerhouse?

Alberta and Saskatchewan have dominated Canadian energy production for generations, but their expertise has centered on oil, gas, and coal. Ontario, by contrast, built a mature nuclear sector starting in the 1970s, creating a deep bench of engineers, technicians, and institutional knowledge. Saskatchewan has made some inroads through uranium mining, but neither western province has invested in nuclear power generation until recently.

The barrier has been financial risk. Utilities have historically been reluctant to fund new nuclear projects because of their enormous upfront costs and long construction timelines. SMRs promise to change that equation by being smaller, faster to build, and more modular, but the technology is still maturing. Alberta is now pursuing data center development aggressively, and that demand is creating the economic case for nuclear investment that did not exist before.

"If we are serious in Alberta and Saskatchewan about having a nuclear workforce, we must start considering establishing things like nuclear engineering programs, particularly post-graduate Master's programs. There's nothing like that in Western Canada; you'd have to go east to Ontario," explained Erik Henningsmoen, one of the contributors to the ICTC report.

Erik Henningsmoen, Contributor, Information and Communications Technology Council

What Specific Steps Does Alberta Need to Take to Build a Nuclear Workforce?

• Create Advanced Education Programs: Establish Master's degree programs in nuclear engineering in Western Canada. Currently, anyone seeking advanced nuclear training must relocate to Ontario, creating a barrier to workforce development and making it harder to retain talent in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
• Set Up a Talent Observatory: Develop a regional forecasting system to identify nuclear skills needed now and in the future, allowing education and training programs to align with industry demand rather than reacting to shortages after they occur.
• Build Supporting Infrastructure: Invest in demonstration microreactors and laboratory facilities, similar to what Saskatchewan is already pursuing. These facilities serve as training grounds and proof-of-concept sites that attract both talent and investment.
• Coordinate Government and Private Sector Efforts: In Alberta's deregulated energy market, private investors will likely lead SMR deployment, but government support through policy, infrastructure investment, and workforce development is essential to reduce financial risk and accelerate timelines.

The report emphasizes that Alberta cannot simply wait for Ontario's SMRs to come online and then poach trained workers. Ontario is expected to have its first SMRs operational by 2035, and Saskatchewan around 2040. By that time, Ontario's nuclear sector will be thriving, offering world-class career opportunities that will make it extremely difficult for Alberta to recruit experienced staff.

How Urgent Is the Timeline for Alberta to Act?

The window for action is narrowing. Alberta is currently five to ten years behind Saskatchewan in pursuing SMR technology, and both provinces are competing globally for nuclear talent. The United States, China, Europe, and the United Kingdom are all experiencing nuclear energy booms, meaning Alberta will be bidding against major economies for the same limited pool of engineers and technicians.

Meanwhile, the demand for data center power is accelerating. Gartner forecasts that global data center electricity consumption will reach 565 terawatts-hours in 2026, representing a 26 percent year-over-year increase, with AI-optimized servers alone accounting for nearly one-third of total data center power consumption. This explosive growth means Alberta's window to establish itself as a nuclear-powered AI hub is closing. Companies making site-selection decisions for new data centers are prioritizing locations with reliable, long-term power commitments. Without a credible nuclear workforce and deployment timeline, Alberta risks losing those investments to provinces and states that can offer certainty.

The ICTC report suggests that if Alberta acts decisively now, it could potentially move faster than expected by learning from Ontario and Saskatchewan's experiences. However, that requires immediate investment in education, infrastructure, and policy frameworks. Waiting another five years would likely mean missing the first wave of SMR deployment and the economic opportunities that come with it.

The irony is stark: Alberta has the geography, the energy expertise, and the corporate interest to become a global leader in AI-powered data centers. But without people trained to build and operate nuclear reactors, those ambitions will remain just that.