April 2, 2008

Power Generation

Bruce Power Alberta files permit applications for proposed Lac Cardinal nuclear power plant

RICHARD GILBERT

staff writer

The wheels have been set in motion to build Western Canada’s first nuclear power plant.

Bruce Power Alberta bought the assets of the Energy Alberta Corporation and filed an application with the federal government to build a nuclear power plant.

The company recently announced that it has completed a deal to buy the assets of Energy Alberta Corporation relating to nuclear power plant development.

On the same day, Bruce Power Alberta also filed an application with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to prepare a site for the potential construction of western Canada’s first nuclear power plant.

The proposed plant would be built on private land next to Lac Cardinal, about 30 kilometres west of Peace River, which is about 480 kilometres northwest of Edmonton

At this early stage in the planning process, the company has not chosen a specific reactor design for the site.

Instead, it will consider the potential impacts associated with several of the world’s leading designs, known as Generation III reactors.

“Assessing several reactor designs is the best way to compare and contrast what the market has to offer,” said Duncan Hawthorne, president and CEO of Bruce Power Alberta.

“However, we are an all-Canadian company and the impact on Canadian jobs will be a big part of our decision-making process.”

Bruce Power Alberta is planning to build up to four reactors that could produce 4,000 megawatts of electricity.

The company said this proposal could generate enough carbon-free electricity to supply up to two million homes with power.

The first unit could be ready as early as 2017, pending the successful completion of a full Environmental Assessment and consultations with the local communities.

“The next three years will be about talking to the people who actually live and work in the Peace Country,” Hawthorne said.

“I know there are many voices in the nuclear debate and it’s important that all of them are heard.”

However, he said that he understands the consultation process.

“It’s clear that most people want fact-based information to answer the many good questions they have,” he said.

The decision making process could take up to three years to complete and will involve extensive community consultation.

Over the next several months, Bruce Power Alberta will also establish an office in the Peace Country to co-ordinate consultation, technical studies, site evaluation and planning activities.

Bruce Power Alberta is an all-Canadian partnership among TransCanada Corporation of Calgary, Cameco Corporation of Saskatoon and BPC Generation Infrastructure Trust, a trust established by the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System and based out of Toronto.

Early estimates indicate that the project could require between 2,000 and 2,500 construction workers.

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