Nuclear power has had its day

Re: Controlling wind power could save $225 million, Business, May 30

The headline should read “Phasing out nuclear could save at least $3 billion a year,” and that’s using the government’s own lowball figures. We could also save the recent $600 million given to SNC-Lavalin. They are going to plan nuclear.

Granted, we must start seriously working on more storage for electricity, but let’s face it, nuclear was last century’s try, and we know that the future only allows renewables. Climate change says it is urgent to start now. Remember the Scientific American article from November 2009: “Nuclear power results in up to 25 times more carbon emissions than wind energy, when reactor construction and uranium refining and transport are considered.”

The government’s goal is to grow renewables slowly each year till 2018, when it hopes to have 10,700 MW. Then no more will be needed because nuclear will be back! In 2011 we had already been offered that much wind, but we didn’t allow it on the grid. I think that the main reason was because we were way behind in our thinking, and were still trying to reserve wires and money for nuclear.