Opponents of nuclear power were hoping to slow down the federal regulatory process by persuading Ottawa to designate the project as requiring the assessment.

But in a public notice Thursday, Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault said that wasn't necessary.

"The project does not warrant designation," Guilbeault said.

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He said he was heeding an analysis by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada that existing legislative requirements would give the project enough scrutiny.

Under federal law, ARC Clean Technology's proposed demonstration project at Point Lepreau is exempt from the federal impact assessment process because it's not a new technology.

Opponents of the project asked Ottawa for a federal enironmental impact assessment of a proposed small modular reactor project at Point Lepreau, pictured in this file photo. (Shane Fowler/CBC)

But the law allows the minister to designate a project as needing review if it can cause adverse effects in areas of federal jurisdiction such as species at risk, fish habitats and Indigenous rights.

Coalition for Responsible Energy Development in New Brunswick asked Guilbeault to use that power to send the ARC project for a full assessment, which would have included public hearings. 

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The group called it their "best shot" at exposing the risk of nuclear energy to the public.

ARC is one of two Saint John-based companies proposing to pilot a small reactor next to NB Power's existing Point Lepreau nuclear generating station.

The other company, Moltex Clean Energy, will require an assessment because of its plans to recycle nuclear waste.

In his decision on ARC, Guilbeault wrote that existing legislation, including the federal Nuclear Safety and Control Act and the provincial Clean Environment Act and Clean Water Act, provide a framework to address any concerns.