tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post9095631934068945102..comments2024-02-07T16:22:39.625-05:00Comments on Jeff Jedras: PMO "investigating" Lisa Raitt's document security breachUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post-20833074011372742822009-06-03T11:28:25.772-04:002009-06-03T11:28:25.772-04:00Whooee! Underlying all of this is teh fact that AE...Whooee! Underlying all of this is teh fact that AECL is as incompetent as teh minister in charge of it. The AECL refurbishment of Bruce A 1&2 is now known to be 433 days behind schedule and hundreds of millions of dollars over budget. Par for the nuclear course, I realize, but how can Ontario even consider AECL's unproven ACR-1000 design for its ridiculous $26.6 billion commitment to unneeded new nuclear builds?<br /><br />That $26 Bn will undoubtedly turn into 10's of billions more and we all know who pays for these cost overruns. <br /><br />Of course, Ontario could choose France's Areva to build teh new reactors. They're 42 months behind schedule on their only contract to build the same new generation EPR reactor that is being considered for Ontario. The Finnish project is also running 60% over budget on top of the fact that Finland was depending on Areva to be on time so that Finland would not face multi-million dollar penalties under Kyoto.<br /><br />Governments need to face up to the fact that nuclear is the most expensive and least reliable option for meeting energy needs. We dole out lavish corporate welfare to these nuclear giants and, in turn, they use that money to lobby governments and mount public relations campaigns aimed at convincing decision makers and the public that they are selling a viable product.<br /><br />The secrecy surrounding nuclear costs is only the tip of the iceberg. What are we not being told about lapses in safety and nuclear security? We are creating stockpiles of highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel without any permanent storage solution. These stockpiles are guarded by paramilitary swat teams who must constantly upgrade their capabilities to stay ahead of terrorists and rogue states. We are saddling countless future generations with these security costs all so we can continue to waste energy like there's no tomorrow. <br /><br />JBJimBobbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04603665575714484326noreply@blogger.com