'N' symposium a good idea
Pembroke Daily Observer
Sat 3 March 2007
Editorial

When county council passed a motion last year to support construction of a nuclear power station here, it did so to capitalize on the fact the province's power needs are more than likely to be met by nuclear generation.

The current provincial government wants to close its coal-fired plants and expand its nuclear program as a means of generating electricity to meet future needs.   With the fact this area has hosted and supported an AECL facility at Chalk River for half a century, it seemed natural for the county to make its intentions known early in the speculative process.   Get on the bandwagon, so to speak.

Two people deeply involved in nuclear power have come forward to assist the county in its decision-making process by organizing a symposium so that all the pros and cons of hosting another nuclear site can be fully explored and the county can give a more informed consent if and when the time comes.

Blair Bromley, chairman of the Chalk River branch of the Canadian Nuclear Society, and Pravin Shah, chairman of the Algonquin chapter of the Professional Engineers of Ontario, are organizing this symposium to explore issues related to building another nuclear facility, issues such as financing to environmental impacts to the power grid.

While both represent groups deeply vested in the nuclear industry, they want to host a dispassionate exploration of all the facts so that the county knows what it is getting into if it decides to proceed with a second nuclear facility.

It sounds like a good idea, and once the date and location are settled, it will provide everyone with a good first step in deciding how to proceed with nuclear expansion.