B.C.’s Conservative Party wants the province to reconsider its nuclear energy ban

Amidst all the name-calling and mud-slinging in B.C. politics as the Oct. 19 provincial election approaches, candidates from across the political spectrum can agree on at least one thing: B.C. needs more power. BC Hydro estimates electricity demand will grow 15 per cent by 2030, driven partly by efforts to provide cleaner power to emission-intensive industries like liquefied natural gas (LNG) and mining. To meet the expected demand surge, BC Hydro has put out a call for power generation proposals such as wind, solar, biomass and geothermal. That’s on top of energy from the $16-billion Site C hydro dam, which is nearing completion on B.C.’s Peace River after more than nine years of construction. But BC Conservative Party Leader John Rustad says the province should consider another source of power — nuclear energy. “Wind and solar can be part of the mix, but they’re not baseload, they’re not reliable,” Rustad recently told attendees at the Union of BC Municipalities convention in Vancouver. “We’re going to actually have to have a conversation about the possibility of using nuclear power in British Columbia. Read More