Closing the door on nuclear power 'would be irresponsible,' says Quebec energy minister
Quebec Energy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon said Monday he agrees with Hydro-Québec's decision to study a possible reopening of the province's only nuclear power plant.
Fitzgibbon was reacting to last week's news that the power utility is looking into restarting the Gentilly-2 reactor in Bécancour, Que., as a response to growing energy demand. He told reporters in Montreal that as Quebec moves away from fossil fuels, all alternative sources of energy should be studied.
It would be "irresponsible," he said, to reject nuclear power outright, adding that any new energy projects should be "socially acceptable and economically profitable."
Last week, Hydro-Québec confirmed that its new CEO, Michael Sabia, has an "open mind" on nuclear energy. The utility said it would assess the plant's current condition in order to "evaluate our options and inform our thinking about Quebec's future energy supply." Hydro-Québec's announcement was met with criticism from environmental group Greenpeace Canada and from opposition politicians, who called on the government to launch a national discussion on Quebec's energy future.
In 2012 the provincial government closed Gentilly-2, located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River about halfway between Montreal and Quebec City, in part because of the high cost of refurbishing the plant, which opened in 1983.
But Quebec's energy situation has changed since then. Fitzgibbon and other officials have warned that the demand for electricity from companies seeking to launch industrial projects in the province exceeds Hydro-Québec's current capacity. The minister has also suggested that Quebecers will need to reduce their energy consumption, but the government hasn't released details on how that goal will be achieved.
On Monday, Fitzgibbon said Sabia is considering the imbalance between supply and demand of energy in the province. "And (Sabia) is saying that we have to look at the energy sources available, which include nuclear, but we are far from having decided; no decision has been made, either by Hydro-Québec or the government."
He said in order for Quebec to successfully transition away from fossil fuels, the province will need to increase its renewable energy capacity and residents will need to change the way they consume energy. He also said the number of cars on the road has to be cut in half — and that the cars that remain should be electric.
Fitzgibbon added, “we need to capture the carbon that already exists, in the sea or in the sky, and sequester it.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING At least 60 are dead and scores are injured after a stampede at a religious event in northern India
At least 60 people were dead and scores were injured after a stampede at a religious gathering of thousands of people in northern India, officials said Tuesday.
Hurricane Beryl rips through open waters after devastating the southeast Caribbean
Hurricane Beryl roared through open waters on Tuesday as a monstrous Category 5 storm on a path that would take it near Jamaica and the Cayman Islands after earlier making landfall in the southeast Caribbean, killing at least four people.
'I would call this the silent eating disorder': What experts want you to know about ARFID
Unlike eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia nervosa, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, or ARFID, isn’t concerned with body shape or size. People with ARFID are very limited in the foods they feel safe and comfortable eating
What a family lawyer says you should know before getting married
Barry Nussbaum, a Toronto-based family lawyer who has counselled countless couples, offers advice about the details you don't want to overlook before getting married.
This 12-year-old memorized the periodic table at age two. He's heading to NYU after finishing high school in just two years
Recent high school graduate Suborno Isaac Bari, 12, plans to start studying math and physics at New York University in the fall, but he’s already got his ambitious sights set on beginning a doctoral program.
Did WestJet cancel your flight? Here's what experts say you should do
WestJet cancelled more than 800 flights between June 27 and July 2, affecting tens of thousands of passengers. Here are the kinds of compensation experts say passengers affected by the cancellations may be entitled to, and how to go about advocating for it.
OnlyFans vows it's a safe space. Predators exploit kids there
When a Florida teen went missing, her parents searched her phone, desperate for clues. What they found shocked them. For months, she’d sent nude photos and videos of herself to a man they now feared had abducted her.
'We thought we were going to die': Thirty injured as 'strong turbulence' forces Air Europa plane to land in Brazil
Thirty passengers were injured after a flight from Madrid to Uruguay was hit by "strong turbulence" and had to make an emergency landing in Brazil, Spanish airline Air Europa said on Monday.
Tim Hortons' parent company inks two deals to bolster presence in China
Restaurant Brands International says it's spending up to $45 million on two deals intended to boost its presence in China and spur growth in what the company sees as a promising market.