Waterkeeper relieved as Ontario backs away from new nuclear power development
UPDATE: Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli says Ontario has a comfortable surplus of electricity and will not need to build new nuclear reactors, reports Maclean's
“Government sources” quoted in the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star have stated that Ontario will not build a new nuclear power plant in Darlington, Ontario. This is a groundbreaking decision that empowers the province to promote a sustainable, innovative, decentralized energy system.
“The Province’s decision not to build more nuclear power plants will dramatically reduce the environmental footprint of Ontario’s electricity sector,” says environmental lawyer and president of Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, Mark Mattson.
“The decision is 100% consistent with Ontario’s new Great Lakes Protection Act. This marks the first time in a half a century that the province’s electricity plan will actually improve swimmability, drinkability, and fishability of the Great Lakes. We are optimistic that this will usher in a new era of protection for Ontario’s most important natural resource: water,” says Mattson.
The Great Lakes Protection Act passed second reading in the legislature yesterday (October 9, 2013). Major media outlets began reporting this morning that Ontario was abandoning plans to build new nuclear power plants in Ontario.
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper brought expert analysis of the Darlington Nuclear New Build project, which showed that there was no demonstrable need for the power, that the site was not large enough for expansion using modern technology and plant design, and that there would be unnecessary harm to fish and fish habitat.
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper provided evidence in our analysis of Ontario’s Long Term Energy Plan showing that nuclear power distorts the province’s energy mix, creates significant unnecessary environmental damage, and holds the province back from being a world leader in energy innovation and sustainability.
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper is a Canadian charity working for a day when every person in our watershed can safely touch the water, when the water is pure enough to drink, and when the lake is clean and wild enough that you could toss in a line anywhere and pull out a fish.