No Nukes News: Feds power up AECL spending by 50%

Fri Mar 5 16:30:17 EST 2010

No Nukes News

Mar. 5, 2010

I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope
we don't have to wait 'til oil and coal run out before we tackle that. -
Thomas Edison (1847-1931)

Independent researchers have calculated that, in terms of carbon emissions
avoided per dollar spent, nuclear is among the most expensive options,
taking lifetime costs into account, not the cheapest. And of course the
nuclear waste issue has not yet been resolved. - Trevor Findlay, author of
The Future of Nuclear Energy to 2030 and its Implications for Safety,
Security and Non-Proliferation

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Feds power up AECL spending by 50%

The deficit-ridden federal government has plowed an additional $182-million
into Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. to cover cost overruns in refurbishment
projects and repairs to its isotope-producing research reactor at Chalk
River.  As a result, Ottawa allocated $824-million in the current fiscal
year to the problem-plagued nuclear flagship as the government prepares to
restructure it and sell its commercial division, according to supplemental
estimates released late yesterday. That's a 50-per-cent increase from
federal spending on AECL in the prior fiscal year.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/feds-power-up-aecl-spending-by-
50/article1488992/ 

Budget puts climate action on ice  

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/budget/budget-puts-climate-acti
on-on-ice/article1490411/ 

Environment, arts get short shrift in new budget

The environment, the arts, poverty and international initiatives are among
the files that get short shrift in this year's budget. In the case of the
environment, Equiterre's Stephen Guilbeault is crying false advertising.
"Climate change is mentioned three times in the throne speech," said
Guilbeault. "Nowhere is that commitment mentioned in the budget."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gijHxd_Jc9IKl3P
IOuf2UY_rqEwg 

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Time to rethink AECL's meltdown

AECL, despite reviews and promises, has lost money every year since 1952 

Even if the federal government were to commit Canadian taxpayers to bring
AECL's bid price down to some reasonable level, there are serious questions
about whether AECL's flagship Candu technology, which is based on exotic and
super-costly heavy water, would be in Ontario's best interests.  The
prospects AECL once claimed for near-term reactor sales of its new design in
China, the U.K. and the U.S., have all dried up. Those countries are now all
concentrating on light water technology which is cheaper to build, is
cheaper to operate, is more productive and benefits from a wider pool of
technology partners.

http://network.nationalpost.com/NP/blogs/fpcomment/archive/2010/02/25/tom-ad
ams-time-to-rethink-aecl-s-meltdown.aspx 

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Flaws must be fixed before nuclear revival

Contrary to Moore's reading, the report does pour cold water on the notion
of a global nuclear energy revival. The major barrier is economics. These
are profoundly unfavourable to nuclear energy and getting worse, compared to
coal, natural gas and alternative clean energy sources, as the government of
Ontario has discovered. 

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/technology/Flaws+must+fixed+before+nuclear+revi
val/2643540/story.html 

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Province committed to new nuclear at Darlington: energy minister

"Just in case there's any doubt at all, I want to assure you we're still
very committed to building two new nuclear units in Darlington," said Energy
and Infrastructure Minister Mr. Brad Duguid. 

http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/articlePrint/149453

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Watt guzzlers to get green retrofit

The cheapest megawatt is the one that's never used. "Industrial energy
efficiency is usually overlooked because it's so unexciting, but it's one of
the most cost-effective ways to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions," Stewart
said.

http://www.thestar.com/business/article/774106--watt-guzzlers-to-get-green-r
etrofit 

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New Ads Challenge Obama on Nuclear Energy

Two excellent tv ads are being aired in South Carolina and Georgia. The
first ad, titled "Family", lists past nuclear disasters like Chernobyl and
Three Mile Island, and finishes with a close up on a child and the voice
over "How would you feel about exposing your family to a potential radiation
accident?" The second ad, "Risk," tied last year's financial hullabaloo to
the potential for another nuclear bailout, similar to the nightmare scenario
Mariah Blake describes in
<http://motherjones.com/environment/2010/01/bailout-nuclear> Mother Jones.
"With cheaper, safer alternatives," the ad concludes, "why should taxpayers
foot the bill for a new nuclear bailout?"

http://environment.change.org/blog/view/new_ads_challenge_obama_on_nuclear_e
nergy

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New Nuclear - The Economics Say No

The Five Corporate Risks

There are five substantial areas of risk faced by developers of new nuclear
power stations. Three of those risk areas are so big and significant that if
they go wrong, the developer (even the biggest utilities) could be
financially damaged beyond repair. These risks can be classed as Corporate
Killers. 

https://www.citigroupgeo.com/pdf/SEU27102.pdf

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Nuclear Power Industry Faces Critical Labor Shortage

But now, as the industry receives unprecedented levels of government
support, it's facing an all-out talent drought.

http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/nuclear-power-industry-faces-critical-labo
r-shortage/19374206/ 

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Nuclear projects face financial obstacles

A new approach for easing the cost of new multibillion-dollar reactors,
which can take years to complete, has provoked a backlash from big-business
customers unwilling to go along.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/01/AR2010030103
975.html

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Nuclear Energy's Comeback Is Fueled By Lobbying Dollars, Not By Safer or
Better Technology

Over 10 years, the industry has spent $1 million per every U.S. Senator and
Representative, plus another $100 million for the White House, courts and
media. Nothing about atomic energy has really changed. Except this: $645
million for lobbying Congress and the White House over the past 10 years.

http://www.alternet.org/story/145813/nuclear_energy%27s_comeback_is_fueled_b
y_lobbying_dollars%2C_not_by_safer_or_better_technology 

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"Fourth-generation" nuclear power is another buzzword that has little
success behind it

The idea is that these new reactors will close the loop for fuel and waste;
that is, reprocess the spent rods into new fuel that can be reused. However,
much like carbon capture and sequestration, this has yet to be done, despite
over 60 years and billions of dollars in research. While some countries,
like France and Japan, do reprocess fuel in a limited way, it still produces
hundreds of tons of toxic waste, which could potentially be used in nuclear
weapons. One French plant dumps 100 million gallons of liquid radioactive
wastes into the English Channel every year, and the French government found
the costs of reprocessing waste to cost $25 billion more than storing it.
There is no truly closed-loop cycle; we will still have to mine uranium, a
toxic process, and to contend with the spent nuclear waste, which still does
not have a home despite years of wrangling on Yucca Mountain.

http://vtdigger.org/2010/03/03/fourth-generation-nuclear-power-a-buzz-phrase
-with-little-behind-it/

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Nuclear Waste Watch 

A Network of organizations concerned about high level radioactive waste and
nuclear power in Canada

Position Statement and Background to nuclear waste storage in Canada

http://www.cnp.ca/nww/position.html

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Sweden plans to build 2,000 wind turbines by 2020

The increase is equivalent to about half of the power generated by the
country's nuclear reactors in 2009.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9E6GRPG0.htm 

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Coal-Fired Power on the Way Out? 
by Lester R. Brown

The principal reason for opposing coal plants is that they are changing the
earth's climate. There is also the effect of mercury emissions on health and
the 23,600 U.S. deaths each year from power plant air pollution.

What began as a few local ripples of resistance to coal-fired power quickly
evolved into a national tidal wave of grassroots opposition from
environmental, health, farm, and community organisations. Despite a heavily
funded ad campaign to promote so-called clean coal (one reminiscent of the
tobacco industry's earlier efforts to convince people that cigarettes were
not unhealthy), the U.S. public is turning against coal. 

The bottom line is that the United States now has, in effect, a de facto
moratorium on the building of new coal-fired power plants. This has led the
Sierra Club, the national leader on this issue, to expand its campaign to
reduce carbon emissions to include the closing of existing plants. 

If the efficiency level of the other 49 states were raised to that of New
York, the most energy-efficient state, the energy saved would be sufficient
to close 80 percent of the country's coal-fired power plants. The few
remaining plants could be shut down by turning to renewable energy - wind
farms, solar thermal power plants, solar cell rooftop arrays, and geothermal
power and heat. 

The handwriting is on the wall.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/02/25 

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Thinking about solar panels? 

Want to assess your site and the financial and environmental benefits?

The Toronto Renewable Energy Coop (TREC) has recently launched their 'Our
Power' program to help residential homeowners with the assessment and
purchase of PV solar panels for their rooftops.  With Ontario's new microFIT
program in place, homeowners can get paid to generate renewable electricity
on their roofs, directly offsetting fossil-fuelled power generation.

Find out how much you can make and how many tons of GHGs you will offset.
Membership is free and your site assessment is only $25. Sign-up today at
www.ourpower.ca

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In recognition of International Women's Day, CBC's Sunday Edition with
Michael Enright will feature a 25 minute segment on the Canadian Voice of
<http://vowpeace.org/cms/Home.aspx>  Women for Peace.

Sunday, March 7, 2010.  Time:   9a.m. - 12 noon (likely earlier in the
morning, maybe even at 9 a.m.)

And on Mon. Mar. 8 at 7:30 p.m., at the Friends House, Toronto, join the
Voice of Women for a coffeehouse and open mic night in celebration of IWD -
sharing songs and poems for peace and justice.

For more info:
http://vowpeace.org/cms/Misc/Event/10-02-23/International_Woman_s_Day_Coffee
house_and_Open_Mic_Night.aspx 

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Angela Bischoff

Outreach Director

Ontario Clean Air Alliance

Tel: 416 926 1907 x 246

625 Church Street, #402

Toronto, ON M4Y 2G1

 <mailto:angela at cleanairalliance.org> angela at cleanairalliance.org

 <http://www.ontariosgreenfuture.ca/> www.ontariosgreenfuture.ca

 <http://www.cleanairalliance.org/> www.cleanairalliance.org 

Our Facebook Group

 <http://www.ontariosgreenfuture.ca/petition.php> Sign Our Petition

 <http://www.ontariosgreenfuture.ca/nonukesnews.php> No Nukes News

Health Power <http://www.healthpower.ca/> 

  <http://cleanairalliance.org/get_involved_donate> 

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