Whether you think nuclear power is a good or bad idea, one thing is certain, it's expensive. Very expensive. And that's before the almost inevitable cost overruns...
This is what the Canadian province of Ontario seems to have realized. It's canceling plans for 2 new reactors because of sticker shock and out of "responsibility to Ontario taxpayers". And while everybody's talking about money, what I'm really wondering about is: What is Ontario's plan to clean up its power grid?
According to the Globe and Mail, Ontario's official number for the nulcear reactors was $2,907/kilowatt, but Steve Thomas, a professor of energy policy at the University of Greenwich in London, claims that the real cost would have been closer to $7,000/kilowatt.
Cheaper Green Alternatives?
This begs the question: How much wind power, solar power, (responsible) hydro power, or even energy conservation (maybe investing in a smart grid that wastes less, and can use more intermittent wind and solar...) can you buy for that kind of money? That's a study I'd like to see. There are probably many low-hanging fruits that would cost a lot less than $7k/kilowatt, or even $2.9k/kilowatt, especially with making buildings and industry more energy efficient.
Read full from the hugger
Via CBC, Globe and Mail
