Report highlights nuclear energy's positive impact on clean air, jobs in the Great Lakes Region

Evan Bayh, former United States senator and governor of Indiana, will assist in the release of a collaborative report that highlights the environmental and economic benefits of nuclear energy on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Region.
 

"Driving Economic Growth and Keeping the Air Clean: The Role of Nuclear Power in the Great Lakes Region" will officially be released Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Empire Club in Toronto.

A collaborative effort among Bruce Power, the Council of the Great Lakes Region, and the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario, the report takes an in-depth look at nuclear energy in the eight states and two provinces that make up the region.
 

Following are a few of the report’s highlights:
 

• Emissions-free nuclear power annually avoids 250-million metric tonnes of CO2 (carbon dioxide) in the air, which is equivalent to removing more than 52-million passenger cars from the road.
• The 55 nuclear reactors in the Great Lakes region directly and indirectly employ more than 80,000 highly-skilled workers annually through operations, manufacturing, support and contract work.
• These facilities combine to inject an estimated $10-billion to $12-billion per year into the Great Lakes economies through direct and indirect spending in operational equipment, supplies, materials and labour income.

 

“Nuclear energy is reliable, affordable and, most importantly, a carbon-free electricity resource that doesn’t get the credit it deserves,” said Bayh, co-chairman of Nuclear Matters, an American organization that educates the public on the benefits of nuclear power. 

“I laud the three organizations involved in this report for moving the conversation about nuclear energy forward, and look forward to sharing its findings with my fellow Americans.”
 

Duncan Hawthorne, Bruce Power president and chief executive officer, said nuclear power is a necessary energy source in the battle against climate change.
 

“Ontario has shown it is possible to close down coal-fired generating facilities, which emit massive amounts of harmful greenhouse gases, while stimulating the economy through nuclear projects,” he said. "This report outlines the existing benefits of nuclear energy in the Great Lakes Region and also highlights areas we can improve.”
 

Mark Fisher, president and chief executive officer of the Council of the Great Lakes Region, said many of the states and provinces in the region rely on nuclear power to provide reliable and affordable baseload energy to power their homes and businesses, while improving air quality.
 

“Nuclear is a stable, affordable and clean source of energy which powers about 30 per cent of the Great Lakes Region,” he said. “It injects billions of dollars into the regional economy and has the additional benefit of cleaning the air our families breathe. The Council of the Great Lakes Region is a great supporter of clean energy initiatives, of which nuclear is a major contributor.”
 

Patrick Dillon, business manager and secretary-treasurer of the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario, said nuclear power is a source of thousands of jobs for its members across Ontario.
 

“A strong role for clean, affordable, reliable nuclear power will help sustain a highly-trained workforce and a robust, diversified economy, which is important to communities across Ontario,” he said. “Our skilled tradespeople are proud to be part of an industry that injects billions of dollars into Ontario’s economy on an annual basis, while being a major contributor to our province’s clean air initiatives.”

To read the report, "Driving Economic Growth and Keeping the Air Clean: The Role of Nuclear Power in the Great Lakes Region," click here.

Established in 2013, the Council of the Great Lakes Region is an independent, non-profit corporation that was created to think strategically about the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Region as a bi-national economic region. It mobilizes business leaders, lawmakers, government executives and policy specialists, academia and advocates from non-governmental organizations in accelerating regional economic growth safely and sustainably. The council achieves this mandate by building innovative partnerships, convening thought-provoking events that stimulate conversations and ideas, conducting insightful research and generating sensible policy solutions. The council also provides impartial advice to governments and legislatures.

The Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario is an umbrella organization that represents 13 craft unions in the construction sector, totaling 150,000 workers throughout the province. The mission of the council is to give construction workers a collective voice in the workplace, to help ensure that they are well-trained to meet industry needs safely, and to promote healthy and safe work conditions with decent wages, pensions and benefits. Part of the council's success stems from the effective partnerships that have been established with signatory contractors and owner-clients who work with affiliates to achieve public-private infrastructure needs. The council works with provincial government ministries and agencies to ensure that the construction industry is well-regulated, competitive, well-resourced and safe.
 

Bruce Power operates the world’s largest nuclear generating facility and is the source of roughly 30 per cent of Ontario’s electricity. The company's site in Tiverton, part of the Municipality of Kincardine, is home to eight CANDU reactors, each one capable of generating enough low-cost, reliable, safe and clean electricity to meet the annual needs of a city the size of Hamilton. Formed in 2001, Bruce Power is an all-Canadian partnership among Borealis Infrastructure Management (a division of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System), TransCanada, the Power Workers’ Union and the Society of Energy Professionals. A majority of Bruce Power's employees are also owners in the business.