Suzuki on Nuclear Power

[Oscar]

News Releases - Nuclear power is an expensive and unreliable way to ease Ontario’s electricity crunch

June 13, 2006

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Campaigns_an ... 130601.asp

TORONTO – Today’s announcement by the Ontario government that it plans to build new nuclear power plants is a huge step backward, said the David Suzuki Foundation.

“Nuclear power is outrageously expensive and is plagued with serious environmental and safety issues,” said Jose Etcheverry, a Toronto-based climate change policy analyst with the David Suzuki Foundation. “This is a short-sighted decision that will have long-term environmental and financial consequences if it goes ahead.”

Mr. Etcheverry pointed out that nuclear power creates radioactive waste, which leads to storage and disposal problems. Nuclear power is also prohibitively expensive. The last plant constructed in Ontario – Darlington – was billions of dollars over budget when it was completed in the mid-1990s. As well, mining uranium for nuclear power is extremely energy-intensive, meaning that nuclear power is a considerable source of greenhouse gases.

Earlier today, Ontario Energy Minister Dwight Duncan said the province will spend more than $40 billion to refurbish old and build new nuclear plants.

“It will take 10 years for those plants to be built,” said Mr. Etcheverry. “A faster, cheaper and more reliable way to solve Ontario’s electricity crisis is with conservation, efficiency and renewable energy. In fact, studies show that Ontario could meet all of its electricity needs with conservation, efficiency and renewable energy alone.”

A report released yesterday says Ontario has more than 62,000 megawatts of green energy that can be developed by 2020.

For more information, contact:
Jose Etcheverry
Climate change policy analyst
David Suzuki Foundation, Toronto
416-977-7290 or cell: 416-885-0129

Sarah Marchildon
Communications specialist
David Suzuki Foundation, Vancouver
604-732-4228, ext. 237