Ontario has a nuclear advantage. Yet many in the province don\u2019t realize it or how much it benefits them and their everyday lives.
\nWhen we flick on the lights, turn on the computer, or charge electric vehicles, we give no thought to how our electricity is produced. We should take comfort in knowing that nuclear power is the backbone of Ontario\u2019s electricity system.<\/p>\n
Nuclear power provides families and businesses with a low-cost, safe, reliable source of electricity, and it makes our Energy Star appliances even cleaner when they run on low GHG-emitting Nuclear. For those who like solid facts: Ontario\u2019s nuclear plants supply over 13,000 MW of clean power \u2013 or, about 60% of Ontarians\u2019 needs every day of the week, every week of the year. What\u2019s more, as Ontario\u2019s electricity demand increases, with people turning to electric vehicles and the province growing in population and economic activity, nuclear power can expand to ensure our electricity stays clean.<\/p>\n
When we think of the challenges of climate change, and the need for carbon-pricing, we do not automatically realize that nuclear power is virtually GHG-emissions-free. The clean electricity from nuclear generation is not impacted by cap-and-trade costs.<\/p>\n
When we urge our governments to do something about the effects of climate change, we don\u2019t always grasp that Ontario\u2019s ability to end coal-fired generation was largely made possible by the return to service of two Bruce Power reactors, and the return to commercial operation of units 1 and 4 at Pickering.
\nThe clean, smog-free air in parts of southern Ontario is a blessing to those with asthma or breathing problems. Today, Ontario has over 90% of its electricity powered by clean energy sources. Nuclear shoulders 2\/3rds of that.<\/p>\n
When we think of concerns about hydro bills, we often tend to lump all generation sources together. We assume they\u2019re all equally to blame for producing expensive electricity. But that\u2019s not the fact. Nuclear generation in Ontario is currently paid 6.6 cents\/kWh compared to the average residential price of 11 cents\/kWh, according to the Ontario Energy Board. And the power that\u2019s bought by Ontarian consumers is reliable, not intermittent, and not dependent on the fluctuations of weather. Thankfully.<\/p>\n
When we think of friends and family who have undergone treatment for cancer and when we assume that the medical equipment used around them is safely sterilized, we don\u2019t say thank goodness for nuclear reactors. But we should. The reactors at Bruce Power and OPG\u2019s Pickering plant produce 70% of the world\u2019s Cobalt-60, used to attack cancer cells. Cobalt-60 is also used to sterilize gowns, gloves, implantable devices and syringes in hospitals in Ontario and around the world. What other energy sources treat cancer and save lives? Nuclear does.<\/p>\n
When we think of high-tech, good-paying jobs for our families and children, we seldom look first to Ontario\u2019s nuclear industry. But do Ontarians realize how many jobs are supported by the nuclear industry and how much communities benefit from having companies in the nuclear supply chain? The nuclear industry in Canada contributes over $6 billion annually to the economy and supports 60,000 direct and indirect jobs. Many of these are in Ontario, and they stay in Ontario because of the expertise and high-quality manufacturing and engineering skills required by the industry.<\/p>\n
When it comes to innovation in advanced energy technologies, you only have to cite the potential of small modular reactors (SMRs) or the next generation of inherently safe reactors that recycle fuel to feel the excitement among the younger generation of scientists, engineers, environmentalists. They see increasingly what new innovations in nuclear can do to bring reliable, safe, emissions-free energy \u2013 in the quantities needed \u2013 to an energy-hungry world desperately wanting more. They will be the generation to deliver this extraordinary benefit to humanity.
\nTake all of these and add them up. What you get is Ontario\u2019s incredible nuclear advantage. Time to recognize this and capitalize on it. Nuclear provides solutions to the pressing needs of today and tomorrow. Time to think afresh about nuclear and its contribution to growth, to the environment, to an innovative, clean energy future.<\/p>\n
An opportunity for such thinking is the Ontario Government\u2019s forthcoming Long-Term Energy Plan. This is where Ontario\u2019s nuclear advantage is established, underpinned and presented imaginatively for the future.<\/p>\n
For our part, the Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA) is proud to launch a new website that promotes fact-based awareness and understanding of Canada\u2019s nuclear success story: www.ontariosnuclearadvantage.com Ontario\u2019s world-class nuclear sector is something of which Ontarians and all Canadians should be proud.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ontario has a nuclear advantage. Yet many in the province don\u2019t realize it or how much it benefits them and their everyday lives. When we flick on the lights, turn on the computer, or charge electric vehicles, we give no thought to how our electricity is produced. We should take comfort in knowing that nuclear […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[537],"tags":[],"topic":[],"class_list":["post-28046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-talknuclear"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n