Leigh Curyer
NexGen Founder and CEO
Jobs for Saskatchewan, benefits for First Nations, and clean energy sovereignty for Canada — Rook I is ready.
The Building Canada Act is now the law of the land, but it remains to be seen exactly what shape this decisive new course for Canada will take. We’ve been told the goal is to fast-track large projects that will strengthen Canada’s autonomy, security, and economy in a time of international uncertainty. In the context of an ongoing climate emergency and a looming global energy crisis, when we talk about “Building Canada,” we must talk uranium.
Over a decade ago in Saskatchewan’s Athabasca Basin, NexGen Energy discovered Arrow — one of the largest, highest grade uranium deposits on the planet. It has gained global notoriety amidst the rapidly growing and unprecedented demand for clean, reliable and affordable baseload energy. Once federally approved and in production, NexGen’s Rook I Project will account for approximately 20 per cent of the world’s current total uranium production, firmly establishing Canada as the world’s largest supplier of uranium fuel.
The world looks to Canada for clean energy leadership
This new golden age of Canadian uranium mining is highly material to the world’s nuclear fleet, especially at a time when global energy demands are skyrocketing with urgency and purpose. We’re in a burgeoning energy crisis already, and it will only become starker as the developing world modernizes. And that was true even before electricity-hungry AI technologies started spreading like wildfire through all industries and all facets of life.
“New power has to be produced in order to meet this exponential demand growth,” says Leigh Curyer, NexGen Founder and CEO. “For the health of the world, the supply of clean, safe, cost-effective power is absolutely primary. Having adequate power infrastructure in place underpins standard of living, especially in parts of the world where large populations are being modernized. The world needs more electricity, and it needs to be clean, reliable, and affordable.”
And while nuclear power has moved from the sidelines to the centre of the global energy preference, its largescale development however, is dependent on a parallel growth in the world’s uranium supply, much of which remains under Russian influence. There’s a growing uranium gap, and the diplomatic and sovereignty implications couldn’t be clearer. Developing a robust domestic supply will safeguard Canada’s economy and autonomy while also positioning us as a global energy leader. But developing these resources takes time, and the clock is ticking.
Having adequate power infrastructure in place underpins standard of living, especially in parts of the world where large populations are being modernized. The world needs more electricity, and it needs to be clean, reliable, and affordable.
Shovels poised and ready
NexGen’s Rook I Project received full sign-off from Saskatchewan’s provincial government in November 2023, after passing a comprehensive environmental review. Premier Scott Moe has identified the project as shovel-ready with community approval and clear economic benefit, calling it a “generational opportunity for Saskatchewan.” Rook I over the construction and production period is projected to create 1,400 total jobs per annum, with a forecasted total economic impact to Canada and Saskatchewan of $37 billion.
Furthermore, the Project has received full Indigenous support through the signing of collaboratively developed benefit agreements with all four identified First Nations communities with an interest in the project area. NexGen works in collaboration with the local communities to deliver impactful training and education programs that have resulted in more than 500 community members participating in trades training and certification, more than 125 young students participating in NexGen’s summer student program working alongside NexGen staff, and a total of 38 scholarships awarded in support of local youth pursuing their education and career goals. 2025 has marked unprecedented growth in these career and skills development initiatives, and these Indigenous communities are ready and waiting for development to begin.
“Mark Carney has told Canada he wants to make the country a new economic superpower through the development of resources projects, and the introduction of Bill C-5 and the Building Canada Act is an excellent initiative to expedite that,” says Curyer. “I don’t know of another project that meets the definition of Building Canada better than NexGen’s Rook I.”
Finish line in sight for Rook I, but the global energy race is just beginning
On November 19th, NexGen will go before the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) for a hearing addressing the environmental impact of Rook I as well as other technical and social aspects of the project, reviewing material already examined at the provincial level. There will then be a second hearing in February 2026, with a final federal decision to follow within 60 days. On this timetable, shovels may finally break the ground in April, more than 12 years after the initial discovery of the Arrow deposit.
“We’re very respectful of regulatory oversight,” says Curyer, noting he is encouraged by Carney’s desire to remove federal duplication in situations where a province has already approved a project, and where there is already First Nations support. “The process from an environmental, technical, and social perspective is incredibly rigorous at the provincial level. As it should be. But then that whole process gets re-reviewed by the federal government. In Rook I’s case, those First Nations communities have expressed very clearly and publicly that they’re ready for Rook I to move forward.”
The rigor with which Canada oversees marquis nation building projects like Rook I — ensuring their safety, environmental stewardship, economic benefit, and Indigenous buy-in — should be a point of pride. We must ensure that nothing ever undermines it. But it’s essential that this strong and sound globally recognized regulatory framework become more agile in order for Canada to realize its potential as the world’s energy super power. The challenges Canada faces today cannot wait a dozen years for a solution. The ones we face tomorrow will be less patient still.
To learn more, visit nexgenenergy.ca.
