New Liberal energy plan is neither clean nor affordable

From the Ontario NDP, November 24, 2010

New Liberal energy plan is neither clean nor affordable

QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario families already struggling to pay rising hydro costs will see their bills double under the McGuinty Liberals’ new energy plan, says NDP Leader Andrea Horwath today.

“Ontarians wanted to see an energy plan that is clean, green and affordable,” said Horwath. “Instead they got a plan that focuses on dirty and expensive nuclear power.”

The Liberal plan calls for an investment of $33-billion to build and refurbish ten nuclear reactors, an estimate that NDP Energy critic Peter Tabuns says is unrealistically low.

“The McGuinty government’s estimate of nuclear costs is seriously low-balled,” said Tabuns. “Based on the history of cost overruns in this province and previous estimates of Darlington new build and refurbishments, the real cost could end up being twice as high.”

Tabuns noted that the government’s plan calls for minimal conservation and no new renewable energy between 2018 and 2030, when new nuclear reactors are poised to come on line.

“The McGuinty Liberals are sacrificing cost-efficient options such as conservation, emerging renewable technologies, and cogeneration for nuclear power,” said Tabuns. “The McGuinty government says its plan is about creating a clean and healthy future for families, but it is really about dumping a legacy of nuclear debt and radioactive waste on future generations.”

“The bottom-line is that Ontarians who are already feeling the hydro bill pinch are in for a lot more pain thanks to this government’s energy scheme,” added Horwath.