Future of energy goes nuclear

Nuclear power in the land of oil and gas would have sounded more like the punchline to one of Alberta’s endless supply of Newfie jokes a few short years ago, but it marks a renewed interest in the controversial power source that stretches across the country and around the globe.

Ontario is currently shopping around for the best technology as it looks to ramp up more nuclear power and crank down its four remaining coal-fired, polluting generators.
The latest global outlook on power supplies by the International Energy Agency suggests nuclear power around the world could grow by more than 40% over the next 25 years under the right conditions.

It is being called nothing short of a nuclear renaissance.

Opponents have another word for it, however.

“What the nuclear industry calls a renaissance, I call a re-run,” said Energy Probe director Tom Adams. “We’ve seen all this stuff before.”

He and other critics suggest the buzz is nothing short of an international public relations campaign aimed at reviving an industry hobbled by chronic cost overruns, construction delays, reliability problems and nagging safety concerns.

“I think it’s not going to happen, to be honest,” predicted University of Greenwich researcher Steve Thomas.

He describes the growing interest around nuclear power as possibly the last chance for the present industry to extend its life.

Ottawa Sun