Hydro
The other, almost equally expensive option is to shut the plant down when its lifespan comes to an end sometime in 2011.
Though the Quebec government will ultimately decide the plant‘s fate, it will likely act on a recommendation from its energy utility.
“Up to now, what we have as information and what we have accumulated as details, leads us to believe the refurbishment of Gentilly-2 could effectively be the best option,‘‘ said spokesperson Sylvain Theberge.
Hydro Quebec is closely monitoring the refurbishment of New Brunswick‘s Point Lepreau facility _ considered Gentilly-2‘s twin as both use 635-megawatt CANDU-6 reactors.
“If we perceive elements that all of a sudden increase the cost or which could represent major problems to the refurbishment, then we‘ll revise,‘‘ Theberge said.
Located on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, about halfway between Montreal and Quebec City, Gentilly-2 supplies about three per cent of Quebec‘s total energy output and plays a key role in distributing electricity to the two urban centres.
Across the river in Trois-Rivieres, a city hit hard by widespread closures in the manufacturing and forestry industry, business leaders anxiously await the final decision about the plant‘s fate.
With the $100 million Gentilly-2 pays out annually in salaries, on top of the $13 million worth of goods and services it buys from local suppliers, many think the region can ill-afford its closure.
“Gentilly-2 has enormous importance the region, both on economic growth and on research and development,‘‘ said Claude Durand, who heads the chamber of commerce in Trois-Rivieres. “The region is in a fragile economic state. It‘s been that way for a long time.‘‘
Most current estimates peg the cost of a refurbishment at $1.5 billion, though that represents a more than $700-million increase from earlier estimates. Dismantling the facility, however, could cost as much as $1.6 billion.
Hydro‘s refurbishment plans would extend Gentilly-2‘s operational capacity until 2035, an investment Durand sees necessary to consolidate the region‘s nuclear know-how.
“Not only does Gentilly-2 supply high-paying, quality jobs, but it also allows our industrial manufacturers to develop products, research and technology to supply the plant,‘‘ she said.
But claims of taking part in the so-called “nuclear renaissance‘‘ leave local opposition groups unmoved. Unlike other environmentalists who see nuclear power as a profitable green energy alternative, they claim Gentilly-2 is merely a dangerous source of electricity.
“Our principal preoccupation concerning nuclear electricity in Quebec is tied to the disproportionate risks it represents to the health and security of citizens, as well to their eco-systems,‘‘ said Michel Fugere of the Mouvement Vert Mauricie, an environmental group that has spearheaded campaigns against Gentilly-2 almost since it came online in 1983.
Fugere also points out that Canada still has not developed a long-term plan to deal with nuclear waste, charging it would be irresponsible to extend the plant‘s life without any idea of what to do with its radioactive byproducts.
Hydro
It has also submitted an outline of Gentilly‘s refurbishment to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission for approval.
This has left the utility open to claims it has already decided to renovate the plant and is simply going through the motions.
“One, it testifies to their arrogance, and two, it suggests they are a state within the state,‘‘ Fugere said. “There has been an usurpation somewhere of its powers.‘‘
Theberge, however, stresses no decision has been made. A task force will make a recommendation this spring to Hydro‘s board of directors, who in turn will make a recommendation to Premier Jean Charest‘s government.
But given the strength of Charest‘s political rivals in the area _ five members of the Action democratique du Quebec were elected from the Trois-Rivieres area in the last election _ Quebec‘s nuclear future may be decided as much by politics as by economics.
PIN/Oilweek.Com
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