The federal minister responsible for innovation and industry says Canada could be at risk of losing out on attracting green industries if it doesnB次元官网网址檛 consider all options for renewable electricity, which he says include nuclear power.
Fran莽ois-Philippe Champagne said in an interview with The Canadian Press that he considers nuclear power part of the renewable energy portfolio that needs to grow to support the countryB次元官网网址檚 lean into B次元官网网址渢he economy of the 21st century.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淣uclear, definitely,B次元官网网址� Champagne said on Friday. B次元官网网址淔or me, we have to look at hydro, we have to look at nuclear, we have to look at small modular reactors, we have to look at wind, we have to look at solar.B次元官网网址�
Small modular reactors are a type of advanced nuclear power plant that the International Atomic Energy Agency says can be prefabricated and shipped to sites unsuited to larger conventional reactors. The federal government has previously said it wants to become B次元官网网址渁 global leader in SMR deployment.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚 can tell you when investors are calling me, they are not looking for subsidies,B次元官网网址� said Champagne. B次元官网网址淭hey are looking for renewable energy, theyB次元官网网址檙e looking for talent, theyB次元官网网址檙e looking for the right ecosystem, theyB次元官网网址檙e looking for access to market. So, I would say that today, renewable energy is key to attracting investment, and thatB次元官网网址檚 why weB次元官网网址檙e going to be there.B次元官网网址�
Canada has announced a number of new investments designed to integrate into global green supply chains in recent years. They include a billion-dollar battery plant expansion in Maple Ridge, B.C., that was unveiled last November and is aimed at producing up to 135 million batteries a year.
Officials from battery maker E-One Moli said one of the reasons its Taiwanese parent company chose Canada for the expansion is the availability of sustainably produced electricity.
Champagne said in a previous interview that Canada was reaching its renewable energy production limits, something he reiterated in Vancouver while pointing to nuclear technology as a key part of the solution.
B次元官网网址淚 think you have to look at all the renewable sources of energy, and I think certainly British Columbia like Manitoba or like Quebec has been blessed with hydro power,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淥ftentimes, I say we live out of the dividend of people who came before us in terms of renewable energy. Now, for us, I think the dividend that we need to leave to the next generation is to make sure that we make the investments now so we will continue to have the power to develop our natural resources in a sustainable and responsible way. And obviously, renewable energy has become key.B次元官网网址�
York University professor of environmental and urban change Mark Winfield said the federal governmentB次元官网网址檚 recent inclusion of nuclear power among options for decarbonizing electricity production is troubling.
B次元官网网址淵es, compared to fossil fuel sources (nuclear) is relatively low carbon, depending on certain assumptions,B次元官网网址� Winfield said. B次元官网网址淏ut it carries with it a huge, a very serious range of negative trade-offs. It essentially fails every other test of sustainability.B次元官网网址�
Among WinfieldB次元官网网址檚 concerns are typically high initial capital costs during construction of nuclear plants, which have previously included cost overruns and delays in Canada.
He said he also worries about the management of nuclear waste B次元官网网址渙n time scales of a million yearsB次元官网网址� as well as the impact of uranium mining.
Industry proponents point to nuclear powerB次元官网网址檚 dependable nature, since it doesnB次元官网网址檛 rely on weather conditions that can affect solar and wind generation.
George Christidis of the Canadian Nuclear Association said the strength of nuclear power was its ability to provide B次元官网网址渘on-emitting base load power generation, which basically means that it provides a foundation in an energy system and an energy mix.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭hat means more clean energy generation that then helps to decarbonize other sectors,B次元官网网址� he said.
Christidis said while nuclear plants have high initial capital costs, those costs are amortized over a longer period compared to other power plants, meaning more stable costs than facilities at the whim of fluctuating fossil fuel prices.
He said the potential for small modular reactors is huge, as other countries will look to Canada to produce such reactors for decarbonizing power generation.
Within Canada, smaller nuclear reactors of various sizes are being planned or explored in Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta, and Christidis said they could be B次元官网网址渇undamental to shifting away from the use of coalB次元官网网址� in these provinces.
B次元官网网址淭he applications (of SMRs) to widen the transition into these clean energy solutions in the small reactor space, theyB次元官网网址檙e very real,B次元官网网址� he said.
Winfield, however, said people should be skeptical because the small modular nuclear reactors being discussed are designs that have not been realized.
B次元官网网址淣obody has built an SMR anywhere,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭his is part of the problem; they donB次元官网网址檛 exist, even as prototypes.B次元官网网址�
Winfield said, even beyond the cost and waste management aspects, nuclear power presents too much risk to warrant consideration as part of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 bid to bring more green industry online.
B次元官网网址淵ou have catastrophic accidents, safety, security, weapons proliferations, risks that just donB次元官网网址檛 exist in relation to any other energy technology B次元官网网址� all of which would suggest that this technology would be an option of absolute last resort when all other options around decarbonization have been fully developed and optimized,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 think weB次元官网网址檙e anywhere near that in Canada at this stage.B次元官网网址�
