Toronto, Ontario – Council for Clean & Reliable Electricity (CCRE) releases the third article in its CCRE Commentary initiative. The CCRE is a forum for reasoned analysis on subjects related to electricity policy. In the past the Council has sponsored conferences on clean coal technology, nuclear power, governance models in the electricity sector and biomass energy opportunities.
CCRE Commentary is intended to stimulate debate on current electricity public policy. The third issue is entitled “CANDU at Darlington: Securing Jobs and Energy for the new Economy”. The author Don Lawson makes a strong case for negotiations to start immediately for ordering Enhanced CANDU 6 reactors to provide a safe, secure and reliable source of electricity to replace the reactors at Pickering which will end their useful lives shortly after 2020. Buying CANDU will utilize local manufacturing expertise, and secure existing highly skilled jobs in the nuclear industry in Canada. CANDU technology has the added benefit of being fueled by natural uranium from Canada while all other nuclear technology options required imported enriched fuel.
Lawson concludes “deciding to build the Enhanced CANDU 6 at Darlington is a sound way to maintain a secure electricity supply for Ontario and … it ensures also that an indigenous nuclear industry will remain available to supply Canada’s energy requirements.”