June 9, 2016
1444
Wednesday (June 8), the Ontario government released its new Climate Change Action Plan, outlining an overall strategy to cut greenhouse gas pollution to 15 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020, 37 per cent by 2030, and 80 per cent by 2050.
With such an aggressive plan in place, the province will be relying heavily on the nuclear industry which provides emissions-free, affordable electricity as part of Ontario's Long-Term Energy Plan.
That's the word from James Scongack, Bruce Power's vice-president of corporate affairs, who spoke to local media Wednesday afternoon, via teleconference.
"We expect that coal will continue to be phased out in Ontario," said Scongack. "So, our nuclear reactor units will be essential in ensuring the province meets those 2030 and 2050 targets."
The plan includes a number of elements, the most prominent of which is the introduction of a new cap-and-trade program.
Bruce Power, through its role in Ontario’s Long-Term Energy Plan, continues to provide approximately 30 per cent of the province’s electricity through clean, affordable and reliable nuclear power, says a statement issued by Bruce Power. The company will continue to be a key element to enabling these targets in the short-, medium- and long-term. This was the foundation of Bruce Power’s submission www.brucepower.com/bruce-power-participates-in-climate-change-discussion/ last year into this process and will clearly be a key element moving forward.
While there are a number of elements to the province’s plan, the most significant short-term reduction in greenhouse gas emissions since 2003 has come from Ontario’s electricity sector through the phase-out of coal-fired generation, states Bruce Power. This will be a key enabler to the 2020 greenhouse gas reduction target.
In fact, as outlined in a joint study Bruce Power carried-out with the Asthma Society of Canada, www.brucepower.com/bruce-power-and-asthma-society-of-canada-release-emissions-report/, 70 per cent of the additional generation needed to phase-out the use of coal came from additional output from the Bruce Power site through a range of investment and reactor restart activities since 2003.
The key for Bruce Power will be to sustain this level of output over the long-term through its multi-year investment program that is currently under way.
In an effort to provide factual and useful information to energy users, Bruce Power launched an innovative calculator on its App and website that illustrates how critical its output is to achieving these targets. A link to the calculator can be found here: www.brucepower.com/resources-and-publications/nuclear-education/climate-change-calculator/. As the calculator illustrates, Bruce Power's 6,300 megawatts of output in Ontario’s electricity system is the equivalent of keeping six-million cars off the road each year and essential to meeting the 2020, 2030 and 2050 targets.
Another key element to the province’s plan is enhancing electrified transportation and personal vehicles in particular, which is a position long advocated and supported by Bruce Power, says the statement. This will only have a substantial impact if Ontario continues to have a clean electricity supply mix, which today consists of 60 per cent nuclear. By continuing to deliver its long-term investment program, Bruce Power will continue to do its part.
To support the increased use of electric vehicles, Bruce Power, in conjunction with Plug’ n Drive, a non-profit organization that is accelerating the adoption of electric cars, has launched a free App where users can get all of the information they need about how to go electric.
In addition, later this year, Bruce Power will release a study it is conducting in collaboration with Plug’n Drive, the Asthma Society of Canada, University of Waterloo and Pollution Probe, outlining how the use of electric vehicles can be further advanced, building on the action plan released Wednesday.
Ontario is serious about tackling climate change, which is why the province is also serious about securing the important role nuclear power plays in meeting the province's electricity needs for today and tomorrow as outlined in the Long-Term Energy Plan.
Written ByLiz Dadson is the founder and editor of the Kincardine Record and has been in the news business since 1986.
Related Stories
No related stories.