This text is part of the special Energy Transition section
This is a question that unleashes passions. Because if we agree today that an energy mix is necessary to develop a green economy, opinions differ from one province to another on the very composition of this bouquet of energy sectors.
To achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, Quebec must replace polluting fossil fuels which still represent, today, approximately half of the province’s energy consumption. In this context, hydroelectricity stands out as an ideal solution. Relying on significant natural resources, Hydro-Québec has been able to set up a large network of hydroelectric power stations capable of producing renewable and reliable energy. Wind power also represents a sector of the future for the state-owned company, which has just launched a first major project with a production potential of 3,000 megawatts.
Unlike other provinces like Ontario, Quebec has chosen to turn its back on nuclear power. Since the closure of the Gentilly 2 plant in September 2012, the sector has been excluded from the energy mix, even if it is considered clean due to its capacity to produce a large quantity of energy while emitting few greenhouse gases. tight. However, a return of nuclear power to our energy mix cannot be completely ruled out if we rely on the declarations of Pierre Fitzgibbon when he was still in his position at the Ministry of the Economy, Innovation and of Energy.
In the spring, the latter clearly reopened the door to nuclear power. “I think we will have to use it one day,” he told the newspaper last spring Duty. Enough to relaunch debates around the quest for the ideal energy mix in the midst of discussion on Bill 69 aimed at adapting the supervision of the energy sector. On the one hand, we cannot ignore the significant challenge represented by the delicate issue of nuclear residue management. On the other hand, it seems difficult to do without nuclear energy as energy demand continues to increase and the deadline for achieving net zero emissions is fast approaching.
Small reactors with big potential?
“We are seeing a significant increase in support and inclusion of nuclear technologies to address climate and energy security needs,” says George Christidis, vice-president of government relations and international affairs for the Canadian Nuclear Association . “More and more states are taking steps in favor of nuclear energy. California, which has always been anti-nuclear, has extended the lifespan of its power plants. In Europe, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium and other countries that initially moved away from nuclear power are now returning to it. »
For Canada, Mr. Christidis sees great potential in small modular reactors (SMRs) currently being planned in Ontario and some western provinces. “Saskatchewan has announced that it wants to move from the use of coal-fired power plants to the use of small reactors. One of the advantages of this solution is that it can take a phased approach. Small reactors can be manufactured or assembled in a systematized manner. You can increase your energy production capacity over time, one unit at a time. » Do PRMs have a future in Quebec?
Head of operations for Canada and global head of the Energy and Renewable Energy market at AtkinsRéalis (formerly SNC-Lavalin), Sébastien Mousseau is in favor of the inclusion of nuclear power. But the engineer by training believes that the thorny question of the composition of the energy mix should be considered across Canada. “We are going to need offshore wind, onshore wind, solar, hydro, nuclear. The demands are so great that we would have every advantage in working together in Canada, to have holistic planning of the electricity grid and not in isolation by province,” he says.
The other challenge of the energy mix
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