nuclear-news

With respect to the achievement of net zero emissions for Canada, while nuclear energy may be able to make some claim of being low carbon relative to conventional fossil fuels, it cannot be considered “non-emitting or “clean.”

The nuclear fuel cycle is associated with severe environmental impacts and risks. Uranium mining in Canada, for example, generates hundreds of thousands of tonnes of mine tailings each year that are radioactive, acidic and hold the unique distinction among mining wastes of having been found to be “toxic” as defined by the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.

At the other end of the process, despite more than 40 years of effort, the question of what to do with the 90,000 highly radioactive waste fuel bundles generated each year by Canadian nuclear reactors remains unresolved.

Canada has cheaper, safer and more reliable options for a low-carbon energy transition. Those alternatives, including energy efficiency and renewable and distributed energy resources, need to be the focus of its attention.