Nuclear Power for Ontario?

Premier McGuinty is hinting that nuclear power is the best way to meet our energy needs. We asked you what you think. Here's what you had to say. (from the Toronto Star)

The complexity of operating a province wide electrical generation system can not be understated. In the words for Albert Einstein "Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler" Any simplistic and ill-informed ranting is unhelpful at best and more likely harmful.

Electricity in sufficient quantities and competitive cost is key to the continued economic strength of Ontario. In the global economy business can and does relocate to the jurisdiction that provides the optimal return on investment to maximize shareholder value. If electricity is unreliable/too expensive, businesses move out of the province, then unemployment follows, reducing the taxes collected and simultaneously increasing social spending.

On a consumer level: The increase in the price of oil and gasoline is starting to have impact on personal budgets and spending habits. People are shifting spending from other areas into their gas tasks (reduced purchases, increase debt, not saving for the future) all of which will negatively affect the future economy of Ontario. The other choice is to reduce gas consumption by driving less. The government has known for a long time that gas consumption is non-elastic and that is why they tax gasoline as much as they do. However as the price becomes too great a burden, then consumers may use public transit instead (but they will have to increase prices also) or consumers may decide not to make the trip (to the store/restaurant/vacation) which will also have a negative impact on the economy. A similar analysis can be conducted for electrical consumption, but increasing the cost of electricity will have a negative impact on the economy.

What about alternative sources of electricity. I'll lump together supply side and demand side approaches. The amount of power that the government is talking about is refurbishing Darlington and Pickering B (5,000 MW) and building 6,000 MW new nuclear all as base-load generation (i.e. running all the time 7/24). A large windmill, with sufficient wind can generate 1 MW, therefore we would need 11,000 of these windmills all with strong enough wind. Not to mention the land and transmission lines these would require. However wind does not blow all the time, so you would need to source contingency power when the wind does not blow (import power from US coal fired plants? Build addition Gas/Coal plants in Ontario?) What about getting people to use less electricity? Each person is projected to use less electricity, but the population growth will still mean higher demands.

Nuclear power provides vast quantities of power from resources completely within Ontario without creating any emissions. The AECL Candu reactors are designed here in Ontario by Ontarians. There is the question of the spent fuel, but is really is a small amount. If you took a football field and stacked the spent fuel to a depth of 10' that would contain ALL the spent fuel EVER created by ALL nuclear plants in North America. By comparison, a loaded cargo ship of coal is burned in under a week and then sent up the smoke stacks into the atmosphere. The permanent long term effects to the environment are a certainty with coal, but highly unlikely with nuclear. There are over 30 reactors under construction around the world. Even the Americans are looking to build new reactors. If Ontario leads the way and can provide clean, reliable, affordable electricity it will allow the economy to continue to perform well.