Hydro-Québec is currently evaluating the possibility of reopening the Gentilly-2 nuclear power plant in Bécancour, in the Centre-du-Québec region, as electricity demand increases in the province.
The news, first reported by the Journal de Montréal, was confirmed to La Presse Canadienne by email by the state-owned company.
“Regarding the Gentilly-2 power plant, an evaluation of the current state of the plant is underway to assess our options and inform our reflections on the future energy supply of Quebec,” said the Hydro-Québec communications team.
The organization also stated by email that the demand for clean electricity “will increase significantly” in order to decarbonize Quebec’s economy, and that it is “an immense challenge”. Hydro-Québec believes it is “irresponsible” to exclude certain energy sources at this time, such as nuclear power.
This announcement comes as the Ministry of Energy is conducting a consultation on the regulation and development of clean energy in Quebec. The Ministry has committed to introducing a bill on this subject in the fall, aiming to “modernize the legal and regulatory framework of the energy sector, the Hydro-Québec Act and the Energy Board Act,” according to the Quebec government’s website.
In its submission to this consultation, the Conseil du patronat du Québec (CPQ) suggested not ruling out energy sources such as hydrogen or nuclear power.
“Today, nuclear power creates waste. However, we know that science and technology are evolving. […] If we close the door now, we may be missing out on opportunities for tomorrow,” said Karl Blackburn, President and CEO of the CPQ, in an interview with La Presse Canadienne.
Greenpeace Canada, on the other hand, opposed nuclear power in its submission.
“We are deeply concerned about the reintroduction of the nuclear option through small modular reactors in the consultation document. For Greenpeace, nuclear energy is absolutely unacceptable. This energy poses serious risks to the environment and human safety,” the organization committed to protecting the environment stated.
In June, Energy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon expressed “intellectual” interest in nuclear energy. “But today, in Quebec, we’re not there. There are no nuclear projects in Quebec,” he said in a press scrum, emphasizing that the province will one day run out of electricity and that alternative energy sources must be considered.
In 2012, the Parti Québécois government of Pauline Marois accepted Hydro-Québec’s recommendation to shut down the Gentilly-2 nuclear power plant, primarily due to the high costs associated with refurbishment. The 675-megawatt plant had been in operation since 1983.
The decommissioning work on the plant was scheduled to continue until 2064.
With the collaboration of Stéphane Rolland
dans un article qui peut être bien classé dans Google.
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