Nuclear giant plans 4 NEW reactorsNuclear giant plans 4 reactors
Bruce Power proposes $10B facility near Peace River
Geoffrey Scotton, with files from Jason Fekete, Calgary
Calgary Herald; with files from Reuters
Friday, March 14, 2008
(See hard copy for graphic).
CREDIT: Herald Graphic
(See hard copy for graphic).
The only private operator of nuclear plants in Canada, Bruce Power LP, plans to bring nuclear power to Alberta, saying Thursday it hopes to build a $10-billion-plus generating complex near Peace River.
Producing up to 4,000 megawatts of power from four reactors, it could be the largest operating nuclear generating station in the world.
Tiverton, Ont.-based Bruce Power said it has applied to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to prepare a 390-hectare site on Lac Cardinal, 30 kilometres west of Peace River, and that first power could be delivered as early as 2017.
In the interim, the company will have to complete a successful environmental assessment -- a three-year process -- and consultations with nearby communities.
"Our first and most important order of business will be getting to know the people in the Peace Country, sharing our plans, answering their questions and understanding their concerns," said Duncan Hawthorne, president and chief executive of Bruce Power and its subsidiary, Bruce Power Alberta Inc.
Nuclear power has been a hot-button issue in the province since Energy Alberta Corp., run by Calgary businessman Wayne Henuset and oil executive Hank Swartout, last year proposed a $6.2-billion plant for Peace River, saying it would provide electricity without greenhouse gas emissions.
However, opponents questioned the safety of the technology and seized on the company's backtracking last September after first saying it had a buyer lined up for most of the output.
Some environmentalists have also warned of potentially dangerous seismic activity in the Peace River region and the potential radioactive contamination of an aquifer that residents depend on for their water.
Bruce Power bought out Energy Alberta. It closed the deal Thursday.
Brenda Brochu, president of the Peace River Environmental Society, attended one of the sessions on Thursday and conceded Hawthorne's organization is more knowledgeable about nuclear operations than Energy Alberta.
But her group remains against building a nuclear plant.
"We also oppose the development of nuclear power anywhere in Alberta, so we will certainly be vigorously watching what Bruce Power does and putting our viewpoint forward," Brochu said.
Hawthorne told the Herald that while the company has an option on the site near Peace River, the location could change and, indeed, the entire project is not a done deal, as it depends on a complex combination of factors such as location, transmission, access to water, demand for power, costs, risk-sharing with equipment suppliers -- and public acceptance.
Hawthorne was on a whirlwind circuit of public announcements at Peace River, Manning and Grimshaw on Thursday.
"No one's asking anyone to make a decision for or against nuclear power today. All I'm asking them is to engage in dialogue with us over the next three years, after which we'll either agree that nuclear works or it doesn't," said Hawthorne. "The only decision they have to take today is to open their minds to the opportunity and let's see where it takes us."
Bruce Power intends to install four 1,000-megawatt reactors using the latest-available technology, but has not chosen a supplier.
Along with Canadian employment impacts and the capabilities of specific reactors, the willingness of manufacturers such as Areva of France, Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy and Westinghouse Electric Co. to financial backstop the project will be key, said Hawthorne.
"With a new build, you'd be looking at the vendor to be taking a lot of that risk from you," he said. "They have to be prepared to take some of that risk from us."
Experts on nuclear power were quick to note that even though nuclear generation has massive capital costs, it has a dismal track record at meeting cost estimates and construction schedules and that, once operational, the reliability of nuclear stations has been spotty, at best.
No facility in Canada has come in on time and on budget and most have required massive, costly refurbishment years ahead of original expectations.
"The history in this field has been that even Bruce Power has experienced significant overruns on projects that were probably more predictable than this one," said Norman Rubin, director of nuclear research for Energy Probe, a Toronto-based energy advocacy group.
"This is not without its risks," he added, noting new technology will make it even more financially risky.
"You wonder whether the lessons have been learned," said Rubin.
"Don't get into a situation where the lights will only stay on if these things happen as promised and they run as promised, because our history is that that never happens -- they never run as promised."
The Alberta government has yet to adopt a policy on nuclear power, but newly elected Premier Ed Stelmach said Thursday at the swearing in of his cabinet that plans are proceeding to develop a policy this year.
Stelmach said the first step is to appoint a group of "very knowledgeable people experienced in nuclear energy" to give the government advice on the public process.
The project will have to clear numerous regulatory hurdles at both the federal and provincial levels.
In addition, the station would require substantial additional transmission capacity -- likely worth an additional $1 billion.