Amar Jolly
Global Director of Nuclear, Hatch
Innovation and leadership in the nuclear sector from companies like Hatch are fuelling hope for a carbon-free future.
One of the biggest problems our planet is facing today is climate change. Canada’s government has committed to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions dramatically, and we’re steadily transitioning to a low-carbon economy. Fuelling this shift is the energy industry, and nuclear energy is leading the way.
We’ve all heard that nuclear energy is a sustainable, reliable, and clean energy source, but what is it, exactly? “We use the natural aspects and properties of uranium,” explains Amar Jolly, a professional engineer and Global Director of Nuclear at Hatch, a global engineering, project management, and professional services firm headquartered in Mississauga, Ont. “We know from physics that if you put uranium in a certain configuration, it produces heat. We exploit that property to extract energy.”
Nuclear is a highly creative way of producing energy. It’s also extremely efficient. “The energy density of uranium is incredible,” says Jolly. “A 20-gram pellet of uranium is equivalent to 400 kilograms of coal or 400 litres of oil.”
As global energy consumption continues to increase, a sustainable energy mix is the only solution.
Creating clean energy for the future
Hatch’s expertise spans all facets of the nuclear industry. From uranium mining and processing, fuel fabrication, and operational support of existing facilities; to new nuclear builds and the development of emerging technologies and innovative solutions for things like nuclear waste management and long-term storage. The company is proud to be known as nuclear experts leading the way in innovation in Canada and abroad.
“Nuclear aligns with our values,” says Jolly. “We’re very much committed to a sustainable future and to making the world a better place via positive change.”
Hatch is also a leader in partnering to develop, license, and implement small modular reactors (SMRs) — an emerging class of nuclear reactors designed to be built in smaller modules that produce less power than a conventional nuclear power plant. Their mass production makes them more economical, and their smaller size helps bring nuclear power to remote and isolated communities, industrial applications, and as a replacement for carbon-intensive forms of energy generation.
Embracing nuclear sustainability
Nuclear is a sustainable option when it comes to power generation, and the team at Hatch believes it should be a go-to as we move forward to a cleaner, greener future.
“As global energy consumption continues to increase, a sustainable energy mix is the only solution,” says Jolly. “That is, new nuclear fission and fusion reactors complemented by other clean sources of energy.”
Nuclear provides clean, reliable, baseload power — meaning it can run all the time. And the deployment of the flexible new SMRs extends the possibilities of nuclear immensely. Nuclear operations account for and safely manage all of their components, fuel, spent fuel, and by-products. Emerging technologies can utilize spent fuel for further energy extraction. “It’s a closed loop, which lends itself to true sustainability,” says Jolly.
“Canada is at the forefront of leading the transition to a low-carbon world with nuclear,” adds Jolly. “We need everybody’s support and involvement to stay in the lead.”
