I live near two nuclear power plants, and have done for more than a decade, but even with those two hints, I didn’t realize that Ontario gets 55% of its electricity from nuclear sources. For some reason, I thought we were somewhere in the 20-25% range — higher than the Canadian average of 15%, but not over half.
The Canadian Nuclear Association has posted a statement on their website (including the above nugget of information):
“Our thoughts are with the people of Japan and their relatives in Canada during this terrible time, as well as with the workers at the Fukushima station for their tireless efforts to protect the people offsite.
Over the coming days and weeks you can expect to hear many varying opinions on the events in Japan and even on Canadian nuclear facilities. Some will be based on fact and will contribute to a worthwhile discussion. Unfortunately, some of what you will hear may not be based on fact.
It’s important to remember the Fukushima plant was damaged, not as a result of any flaw in the reactor design, but from the largest ever earthquake in Japan’s history followed by a devastating tsunami. The nuclear industry — in Canada and around the world — has a history of working closely together to share technical expertise. We also have a history of examining operations and activities to ensure continuous improvements.
I would like to add that many reporters have been comparing (and will compare in the future) the disaster in Japan to Chernobyl. Although, this comparison does have the political hysterical effect the media and special interest groups enjoy, it is very incorrect. First, the Chernobyl reactor was designed differently than the ones in Japan. Second, the Chernobyl disaster was not an accident. It was a combination of human error, choices by the operators to disregard warnings, override/disengage safeties, and forcing the reactor to operate in ways it was never designed to be operated. http://www.whatisnuclear.com/chernobyl/timeline.html
Comment by Da Wife — March 16, 2011 @ 14:08