November 12th, 2008
Canada’s Biggest Environmental Groups Call for the Shut Down of Pickering B
Shawn Patrick Stensil
A coalition of Canada’s biggest environmental groups today called on the McGuinty government to shut down the Pickering B nuclear station and replace it with green power. Greenpeace, WWF, the David Suzuki Foundation, the Sierra Club and the Canadian Environmental Law Association endorsed a study produced by the Pembina Institute showing how Ontario could replace its ageing nuclear stations with conservation, renewables and waste heat recovery.
The report, Plugging Ontario Into A Green Future, lays out how clean power can produce enough baseload electricity to replace the ageing Pickering B and Bruce B nuclear stations as they reach the end of their lives and are shut down beginning in 2013.
Renewable energy in Ontario is currently capped because the government has opted to increase greenhouse gas emissions until expensive new replacement nuclear stations come online. After visiting countries like Germany and Spain this summer (both countries are leaders in renewable energy development and are phasing out their nuclear stations), Energy Minister Smitherman directed the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) to enhance its targets for renewable energy, conservation and distributed energy.
It’s great the Minister Smitherman wants to increase green energy, but the litmus test of his commitment will be whether he’s willing to stand up to the nuclear lobby and take the cap off renewables. With more green power, Ontario won’t need new nuclear plants.
Minister Smitherman’s decision on how to replace the Pickering B nuclear station will be the first test of his commitment to green power.
Canada’s Biggest Environmental Groups Call for the Shut Down of Pickering B
Categories: Nuclear
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November 15th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Using renewables to displace nuclear won’t save any CO2 emissions. Extending the operation of nuclear plants will save CO2 emissions. So would it not be more sensible to use the new renewables to displace coal powerstations rather than displacing nuclear?
It seems that there is quite an extensive plan for renewable expansion, yet coal and gas are still being burned.
http://www.niauk.org/news/latest-nuclear-news/ontarios-energy-mix-to-2025.html
November 15th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
In fact on closer inspection it seems the “Green Future” plan involves higher CO2 emissions.
http://www.renewableisdoable.com/green-choice
A third of the solution uses CHP which is based on burning fossil fuel. Another third is “conservation” which would be better applied in displacing fossil fuel plant, surely.
November 22nd, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Nuclear is far more dangerous than any co2 emissions. I think its a great start to replace it with more efficient energy source. Plus it would help balance budget since this power plant cost taxpayer far more than it generate.