TIVERTON, ON, June 8, 2016 /CNW/ - Earlier today, the Ontario Government released its new Climate Change Action Plan outlining an overall strategy to cut greenhouse gas pollution to 15 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020, 37 per cent by 2030 and 80 per cent by 2050.
The plan includes a number of elements, the most prominent of which is the introduction of a new cap and trade program. Bruce Power, through our role in Ontario's Long Term Energy Plan, continues to provide approximately 30 per cent of the province's electricity through clean, affordable and reliable nuclear power. Bruce Power nuclear will continue to be a key element to enabling these targets in the short, medium and long-term. This was the foundation of Bruce Power's submission http://www.brucepower.com/bruce-power-participates-in-climate-change-discussion/ last year into this process and will clearly be a key element moving forward.
While there are a number of elements to the province's plan, the most significant short-term reduction in greenhouse gas emissions since 2003 has come from Ontario's electricity sector through the phase-out of coal fired generation. This will be a key enabler to the 2020 greenhouse gas reduction target. In fact, as outlined in a joint study Bruce Power carried-out with the Asthma Society of Canada, http://www.brucepower.com/bruce-power-and-asthma-society-of-canada-release-emissions-report/ 70 per cent of the additional generation needed to phase-out the use of coal came from additional output from the Bruce Power site through a range of investment and reactor restart activities since 2003.
The key for Bruce Power will be to sustain this level of output over the long-term through our multi-year investment program that is currently underway.
In an effort to provide factual and useful information to energy users, Bruce Power launched an innovative calculator on our App and website that illustrates how critical our output is to achieving these targets. A link to the calculator can be found here: http://www.brucepower.com/resources-and-publications/nuclear-education/climate-change-calculator/. As the calculator illustrates, our 6,300 megawatts of output in Ontario's electricity system is the equivalent of keeping six million cars off the road each year and essential to meeting the 2020, 2030 and 2050 targets.
Another key element to the province's plan is enhancing electrified transportation and personal vehicles in particular, which is a position long advocated and supported by Bruce Power. This will only have a substantial impact if Ontario continues to have a clean electricity supply mix, which today consists of 60 per cent nuclear. By continuing to deliver our long-term investment program, Bruce Power will continue to do our part.
To support the increased use of electric vehicles, Bruce Power, in conjunction with Plug' n Drive, a non-profit organization that is accelerating the adoption of electric cars, has launched a free App where users can get all of the information they need about how to go electric. In addition, later this year, Bruce Power will release a study it is conducting in collaboration with Plug'n Drive, the Asthma Society of Canada, University of Waterloo and Pollution Probe outlining how the use of electric vehicles can be further advanced, building on the action plan released today.
Ontario is serious about tackling climate change, which is why the province is also serious about securing the important role nuclear power plays in meeting our electricity needs for today and tomorrow as outlined in the Long Term Energy Plan.
About Bruce Power
Bruce Power operates the world's largest operating nuclear generating facility and is the source of roughly 30 per cent of Ontario's electricity. The company's site in Tiverton, Ontario is home to eight CANDU reactors. Formed in 2001, Bruce Power is an all-Canadian partnership among Borealis Infrastructure Trust Management (a division of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System), TransCanada, the Power Workers' Union and the Society of Energy Professionals. A majority of Bruce Power's employees are also owners in the business.
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SOURCE Bruce Power
Image with caption: "An aerial view of the Bruce Power site. (CNW Group/Bruce Power)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160608_C2124_PHOTO_EN_709424.jpg
John Peevers - 519-361-6583; Bruce Power Duty Media - 519-361-6161
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