Energy

Ontario hands nuclear power a monopoly

Ontario’s Energy Minister Gerry Phillips announced in early March that the Government of Ontario will give nuclear power companies a monopoly to supply up to 72 per cent of Ontarios electricity demand.

Nuclear power is the highest-cost, least reliable and least energy efficient electricity supply source. This decision essentially does an end run around the government’s promise to consider all supply sources equally in an integrated plan.

Instead of reserving up to 72 per cent of Ontarios electricity market for nuclear power, the Government of Ontario should allow all energy options to compete fairly to meet our base-load electricity needs.

It doesn’t make sense to build new nuclear power plants if we can meet our electricity needs at a lower cost through:

• energy conservation and demand management
• wind power
• biomass power from our farms
• natural gas-fired combined heat and power plants located in our apartment buildings, recreation centres, hospitals, shopping malls and factories
• water power imports from Quebec, Labrador or Manitoba.

Please contact Energy Minister Phillips and ask him to immediately revoke his decision to grant nuclear power a monopoly for up to 72% of Ontarios electricity market and restore fairness and foresight to energy planning in Ontario. You can reach him at:

Hon. Gerry Phillips
Ministry of Energy
Hearst Block, 4th Floor
900 Bay Street
Toronto, ON
M7A 2E1

Telephone: 416-327-6758
Fax: 416-327-0033
e-mail: gphillips.mpp@liberal.ola.org

© 2008 Great Lakes News.