The Canadian province of Ontario faces a number of challenges when it comes to its electric grid -- challenges that have lead many pundits and policymakers to suggest that it was time for the province to reconsider nuclear energy. In today's Toronto Star Alan Middleton, a professor at York University, agrees, but said that the province doesn't need to look any further than its own backyard when it comes to a reactor design:
Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy Environment Energy Politics Technology Economics Ontario Canada AECL
We have a world-class nuclear industry here in Ontario. The CANDU 6 operates in five countries on four continents. In terms of average lifetime capacity factor, the single most important measure of reactor performance, the CANDU 6 fleet ranks well ahead of the French and U.S. reactor fleets. In 2002, the top three CANDU 6 units actually achieved an average 97.1 per cent capacity factor.Elsewhere in Canada, French oil giant Total told the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) it was thinking of building a nuclear plant in Alberta to help it extract oil from tar sands in that resource-rich Canadian province.
CANDU 6 is already licensed by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and is considered to be among the safest reactors in the world. CANDU 6 is a proven safe, clean, reliable and affordable solution that is ready to fill Ontario's looming electricity supply gap in the shortest possible timeframe.
Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy Environment Energy Politics Technology Economics Ontario Canada AECL
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