While COVID Immiserated Millions, Canadian Corporate Executives Got Six-Figure Raises


As workers across Canada were laid off last year, corporations scrambled to ensure their executives received a whopping 17 percent pay increase.
CEO Calin Rovinescu and other Air Canada executives took home millions in pandemic bonuses even as the airline received a multibillion-dollar federal bailout. 

(Zach Gibson / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

BY LUKE SAVAGE

JACOBIN
09/03/2021

When COVID-19 hit North America in the spring of 2020, its impact on millions of Canada’s workers was swift and punishing. In the pandemic’s first two months alone, more than one in ten were laid off — a share significantly higher than in previous economic downturns. Predictably enough, low-wage workers were the hardest hit, with those in the bottom 10 percent of earnings collectively seeing their total work hours drop by 45.5 percent and more than half being compelled to turn to the federal government for financial support. According to the Bank of Canada’s deputy governor, those earning under $16 an hour saw employment decrease by 27 percent last year — with the average loss of labor income for Canadians as a whole totaling $1,600. Many reportedly dipped into savings, and average household spending fell by $4,000 amid the downturn.

As newly assembled data makes clear, the experience of many of Canada’s most lushly compensated corporate executives was practically in another galaxy, if not another dimension. In a new report published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, authors Alicia Massie and David Macdonald analyzed filings from over two hundred publicly traded companies on the S&P/TSX Composite Index and the compensation packages offered to more than one thousand executive officers. The report, appropriately titled “Boundless Bonuses,” reveals that, in 2020, executive pay rose by an average of 17 percent, with forty-nine of Canada’s largest companies modifying their own compensation rules on the fly so that executives would receive even bigger payouts.


As Massie and Macdonald explain, even parsing the pay packages of many executives is itself a complicated exercise. While most people are paid by way of a salary or an hourly wage and taxed accordingly, those at the top of the corporate ladder tend to receive the majority of their compensation in the form of bonuses — themselves a convoluted mixture of cash, shares, and stock options. Thanks to this pay structure, more than half of executives who took salary cuts during COVID-19 (for publicity’s sake) actually saw their total pay increase.

Perhaps still more outrageous are the methods many companies employed to boost pay for those at the top. As Massie and Macdonald reveal, nearly a quarter of companies listed on the S&P/TSX Composite Index ended up altering or modifying their own rules and performance metrics, ultimately employing several different methods of numerical alchemy to ensure executives got even cushier packages than they had the previous year. Some companies, for example, used imaginary financial figures designed to simulate what conditions would have been like without the arrival of COVID-19. Others, meanwhile, changed the weighting, percentage scores, and measures on which bonuses were originally based entirely — guaranteeing pay increases even as some executives officially took “salary cuts.”

Those at Air Canada, for example, were compelled to return their bonuses earlier this year amid widespread public anger motivated, at least in part, by the company’s recent receipt of a multibillion-dollar federal bailout. As such, returning CEO Calin Rovinescu and several executive vice presidents officially returned a combined $2 million worth of pandemic bonuses, though this ultimately represented a mere 15 percent of the total (the combined remaining compensation was worth $11 million).

Though most Canadians would likely struggle to understand the twisted ethics involved in justifying such practices, all of them are, in fact, perfectly legal. Thanks to Canada’s lax tax code, some components of such bonuses aren’t even taxed at the full rate. As Massie and Macdonald explain:

Even after recent stock option tax limits, up to $200,000 of executive compensation via option-based awards is subject only to capital gains tax, not income tax. That means a regular working Canadian must pay full income tax on their salary up to $200,000. But a multi-millionaire executive getting a share-based bonus pays only 50%.

Amid a snap pandemic election, it’s really no wonder that support for a wealth tax in Canada hovers near 90 percent. As COVID-19 has yet again shown, one is long overdue.

 

Hundreds of Nova Scotians are on hidden bad tenant lists on Facebook

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Legal experts, advocates and landlord associations say lists raise major concerns

Haley Ryan · CBC News · Posted: Sep 04, 2021 

In this May 16, 2012 file photo, the Facebook logo is displayed on an iPad in Philadelphia. Facebook groups of landlords in Nova Scotia have put together bad tenant lists, which have been ruled as illegal in other cases in the past. (Associated Press)

Renters in Nova Scotia are facing a shortage of affordable homes amid stiff competition, often with children and pets in tow.

But there might be another reason why an application gets turned down.

In various Facebook groups, some hidden and some public, landlords swap photos and names of tenants with whom they've had bad experiences. Advocates have flagged at least two 'bad tenant' lists with hundreds of names in such groups.

"A landlord could easily put something up there just for a sake of a petty vengeance," said Fabian Donovan, a member of Nova Scotia ACORN, an organization that advocates for people with low to moderate incomes. Donovan is a renter in Halifax.

"And once it's out there, it cannot be taken back."

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Such lists are concerning for advocates, legal experts and property owner associations. But some landlords say they're forced to take matters into their own hands to protect themselves.

Earlier this month, N.S. ACORN launched a campaign highlighting screenshots of posts they'd gathered from the hidden "Landlords Unite" Facebook group over the past year and a half. 

Fabian Donovan, a member of Nova Scotia ACORN, says bad tenant lists on landlord groups need to be taken down. (Fabian Donovan)

The Nova Scotia chapter said its membership in the Facebook group allowed them to see various files, including a  "Do Not Rent" list that had 256 names as of Aug. 21.

They said names were added to this list for various reasons, including anti-landlord social media posts or replying rudely to rental listings. 

Another list with nearly 3,200 names was compiled on a hidden Facebook group called "Amherst Landlord Associates," ACORN said, including some names pulled from police records.

CBC News confirmed that at least the Landlords Unite list is still visible on the group as of this week. Some screenshot posts from ACORN also show landlords discussing offline lists they've created for regions around the province.

A post made in the Landlords Unite group and shared by Nova Scotia ACORN appears to suggest certain names, which have been redacted, be added to the group's bad tenant list. (Nova Scotia ACORN/Facebook)

Another group called Landlords Nova Scotia, which is open, regularly shares photos and names of tenants who have allegedly not paid months of rent, or caused huge amounts of damage and left behind piles of garbage.

"Who knows what was going on. Maybe ... the person had a bad marriage. They broke down and he couldn't afford to pay the rent," Donovan said, adding that people being named could have had mental-health episodes, or be one of many who lost work during COVID-19.

Donovan said he understands why landlords are upset when they lose out on rent or have to spend large amounts cleaning out their units, but there are legal ways to go about dealing with those situations. He said they could always go through the residential tenancy system, or a collection agency.

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ACORN has said anyone who wants to know if they are on a bad tenant list should contact them.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has ruled in the past these lists can be illegal, and violate the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act.

The act is Canada's federal private-sector privacy law, which applies to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information during commercial activities. Personal information includes things like name, income and social status.

Here's how little some people on assistance have left after housing costs

4 months ago

2:26

Those at Welcome Housing and Support Services in Halifax sometimes see clients who have only a few dollars to last them the month after their rent and power bills are paid. 2:26

Generally, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act requires that organizations obtain "meaningful consent" for the collection, use or disclosure of personal information, Tobi Cohen, a spokesperson for the office of the privacy commission, said in an email.

On the organization's website, landlords are warned that informal background checks on tenants, like scanning someone's Facebook page, or consulting another landlord about them, still counts as collecting personal information and must follow conditions of the act.

Even if a landlord believes a tenant has been disruptive or damaged the unit, or had a poor payment history, "this does not give you the right to disclose this information by … contributing to an unregulated 'bad tenants list,'" says the office of the privacy commissioner, since "vigilante" actions are seldom, if ever, permitted by law.

The office of the privacy commissioner said formal and regulated mechanisms, like credit agencies, may be used in appropriate circumstances.

But that doesn't sit well with landlords like Paula Hodson.

She runs credit checks, but those won't tell you whether someone will take care of a unit, Hodson said, and has had major damage done by people who looked fine on paper.

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Hodson and her husband own five units in Nova Scotia, including duplexes and small homes, she said. As a member of Landlords Unite, she said she's contributed names to the bad tenants list.

Although she has posted names publicly in that group before, she now privately messages the group's moderator to avoid "retaliation."

Her reasons have ranged from having police over at a unit multiple times as well as being denied rent due to dramatic damage, including buildups of mould and mildew.

In one unit, Hodson said they've spent more than $5,300 over the past few months cleaning up after a former tenant who left in April. That includes painting, cleaning, new flooring and appliances.

Without bad tenant lists and group chats between landlords, they would be even more exposed, Hodson said, "because we have nowhere to find out about these people."

"If people don't want their name posted, then don't do all that damage," Hodson said.

Nova Scotia, like much of the country, is dealing with an affordable housing crisis with rising prices and not enough units to go around. (David Horemans/CBC)

Hodson said having more details available through the residential tenancy board is much needed, like someone's damage history, which does exist in an American state where she also owns a rental property.

From her perspective, Hodson said the bad tenant list in Landlords Unite is "not public" since it's a private Facebook group that was only brought to light by ACORN members who should not have been there.

The advocacy group does post public lists of its own, inviting tenants to name their worst landlords annually in a "Slumlord Smackdown."

Tension between landlords and renters has risen over the last few years as prices go up, Hodson said, but that increase is needed as insurance, appliances and other costs spike, too. She said she and other landlords have received aggressive and "bullying" messages since ACORN's campaign began.

Law professor Wayne MacKay. (CBC)

Wayne MacKay, a law professor at Dalhousie University, agreed that these types of shaming issues seem more prevalent now. He said it is likely accentuated by the national housing crisis and prevalence of social media, where things can be broadcast more widely than ever before in history.

He said while it's likely fine for landlords to discuss tenants' history one-on-one like any reference letter, the legal issues come in when those details are posted on social media because that could defame someone's character generally.

Long lists of names on a bad tenant list without context, put together without giving someone a chance to respond, are especially problematic, MacKay said.

"Perhaps there should be some way of the tenants themselves being informed that they're on this rogues' gallery and given an opportunity to try to explain themselves," MacKay said.

"If you're going to do this kind of thing, there are perhaps better and fairer ways to do it."

Kevin Russell is the executive director of the Investment Property Owners Association of Nova Scotia. (Dave Laughlin/CBC)

Kevin Russell, executive director of the Investment Property Owners Association of Nova Scotia, said he was "gobsmacked" when he heard of the bad tenant lists after ACORN'S campaign began.

He said his association operates under the laws of Nova Scotia, and doesn't participate or associate with any online chat groups.

"Nor do we possess, or ever considered developing, a tenant blacklist and we strongly condemn any organization or a landlord that use such lists," Russell said.

He added that while most professional landlords are "well-versed" in the Residential Tenancies Act and understand how privacy law plays into what they can and can't do, there has been a surge in people getting into the property investment industry without fully researching landlord and tenant rights.

"They've taken situations under their own control, and it's gone down the wrong path," he said.

Russell said the association offers various programs to help property owners, including an "I rent it right" online tutorial that covers which tenant verification processes follow the law. 

Slim majority of Canadians willing to pay more to help achieve emissions-reduction targets: Nanos poll

Christy Somos

CTVNews.ca Writer
 Sunday, September 5, 2021 

TORONTO -- A slim majority of Canadians indicate some willingness to pay more to help achieve Canada’s emission-reduction targets, according to a new polling from Nanos Research.

On July 12, Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson announced Canada’s pledge to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to 40 to 45 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. It was the first emissions reduction target to be enshrined into law under the new Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act.

Canada is one of 120 countries that have committed to net-zero emissions by 2050, and is formally a part of the Paris Agreement.

The poll, conducted by Nanos Research and sponsored by CTV News and The Globe and Mail, found that 27 per cent of Canadians are willing and 27 per cent are somewhat willing to pay more in taxes or to pay more for things like the price of gas to help the country achieve its emissions-reduction targets.

The poll found that 30 per cent of Canadians surveyed are not willing to pay more, and 14 per cent reported they are somewhat not willing to pay more.

In the poll breakdown, women surveyed tended to be more willing or somewhat willing to pay more to reach emissions targets, at 57 per cent, compared to men at 52 per cent.

Coastal areas in Canada reported higher percentages of those willing or somewhat willing to pay more to reach emissions-reductions targets, with 65.9 per cent of those polled in the Atlantic region and 60 per cent of those polled in B.C. reporting they are willing or somewhat willing to pay more.

More than half of respondents in Ontario – 57.6 per cent – said they are willing or somewhat willing to pay more; 50 per cent of Quebecers surveyed and 46.6 per cent of those surveyed in the Prairies said they are willing or somewhat willing to pay more.

Those surveyed in the 35-to-54 age range had the highest rate of reporting to be unwilling or somewhat unwilling to pay more at 46 per cent, compared to those 18 to 34 at 43 per cent, and those 55 and older at 40 per cent.

METHODOLOGY

Nanos conducted an RDD dual frame (land-and cell-lines) hybrid telephone and online random survey of 1,029 Canadians, 18 years of age or older, between August 28 and 30, 2021 as part of an omnibus survey. Participants were randomly recruited by telephone using live agents and administered a survey online. The sample included both land- and cell-lines across Canada. The results were statistically checked and weighted by age and gender using the latest Census information and the sample is geographically stratified to be representative of Canada. Individuals were randomly called using random digit dialling with a maximum of five call backs.

The margin of error for this survey is ±3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. This study was commissioned by CTV News and the Globe and Mail and the research was conducted by Nanos Research.


A person holds up a sign during a climate change protest in Montreal, Saturday, September 26, 2020.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

THIS is what Earth may look like in the future; NASA reveals planet, climate change

By HT TECH
Updated on 03 Sep 2021,

NASA shows that Earth is set for a massive change as all continents will merge into a single or at most 2 continents above the Equator in the future and it maps climate change too. 

(Geochemistry, Geophysics and Geosystems)

Researchers at NASA have been looking into the evolution of plate tectonics on Earth, its slower rotation rate, and the Sun’s increased brightness to predict planet's terrestrial future as well as chart climate change.

Earth’s evolution over millions of years has been driven by shifting tectonic plates with the super-continent Pangaea breaking and arranging itself into seven continents and five oceans. And scientists say that these tectonic plates are not done shifting and our planet is still evolving. They have been researching the current structure of the planet to predict how it is going to change over the next 200 to 250 million years.


The research is being led by Michael Way of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and the scientists are looking into the evolution of plate tectonics, the Sun’s increased brightness, and slower rotation rate that can change future climate scenarios. And they have found two different scenarios that might occur in the future and the difference in the mean surface temperatures in these two potential cases differ by several degrees Celcius.

“In one case the present-day continents form into a single landmass near the equator, and in the other case Antarctica stays put, but the rest of the present-day continents are mostly pushed well north of the equator,” researchers said in a study published in the “Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems” journal.


Our planet is halfway through current continental formation

Study shows that continents on Earth aggregate into supercontinents and then disperse over a cycle of 400 to 600 million years following something called the supercontinent cycle. "Pangaea formed around 310 million years ago and started breaking up around 180 million years ago. The next supercontinent will most likely form in 200-250 million years, meaning the Earth is currently about halfway through the scattered phase of the current supercontinent cycle," the paper said.

Researchers have also established strong links between large-scale tectonics (the movement of the lithosphere plates) and climate changes and are researching what the Earth’s climate could be like in the distant future when continental movements have changed the planet. According to researchers, there are two plausible formations. One is Aurica, a low latitude supercontinent developing over the next 250 million years, and the second is Amasia, a high latitude northern supercontinent and a smaller Antarctic subcontinent taking shape in about 200 million years. "Amasia is essentially an Arctic supercontinent with an independent and isolated Antarctic continent, meaning both poles are covered by land, and much of that is covered by ice," the paper said.

The future looks something like this, (Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems)

Scientists have designed several models to predict the Earth’s future climate. One set of researchers have explored Earth’s deep-time future climate by looking at the increasing rates of carbon dioxide and solar insolation over time while others are looking into the effects on climate change brought about by changes in topography. They have discovered that while high altitude land on Amasia would lead to the creation of ice sheets, the white supercontinent would reflect back more of the Sun’s heat. And the lack of a northern polar ocean would mean that more ice would be present on land and in lakes through the year near the North Pole like it is in present-day Antarctica. On the other hand, in Aurica, there would be little snow or ice with average temperatures hovering around 20 degrees Celcius

"The geological formations on the ever-changing surface of the Earth have a strong influence on our climate," the researchers said citing how the Himalayas, created by the collision of the India-Eurasia plates, help monsoon climatic conditions.

Studying these climatic changes based on topographic movements also helps astronomers predict a climate model of an Earth-like exoplanet using parameters that are known to sustain habitability and a stable biosphere. "Using the deep-time future Earth as a basis for exoplanetary climate studies allows us to establish sensitivity ranges for the habitability and climate stability of the future Earth and its distant cousins in our galaxy," the paper said.

First Published Date: 03 Sep 2021, 11:37 AM IST

GREENWASHING 

Opinion: Nuclear energy should be on the table for Oregon


by Jared Garson, The Oregon Way

Saturday, September 4th 2021

FILE -- The Trojan nuclear power plant near Rainier, Ore. before the cooling tower was demolished. (KATU File)

Climate activists across Oregon are celebrating the momentous passage of HB 2021, “Clean Energy for All.” Under this bill, Oregon will transition to an electric grid powered by 100% renewable energy by 2040. This is one of the most ambitious timelines in the entire country and should make Oregonians very proud. That being said, there is still more work to do. In 2019, electricity only generated 25% of all greenhouse gases in the U.S. according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Although Oregon is on track to eliminate nearly a third of its emissions, there are still important steps that the state needs to take to effectively combat climate change.

The first step is to create policies that incentivize businesses currently powered by fossil fuels to develop new technology that’s powered by electricity instead. Now that Oregon’s electricity will be greener, it’s time to increase the scope of what can be powered by that clean energy. That way, the economy can begin to transition from a carbon-powered economy to an electricity-powered economy, decreasing demand for carbon, gas, and fossil fuels.

However, there is a problem with powering an entire state off of renewable energy. To put it simply, the sun isn’t always shining and the wind isn’t always blowing. The state can’t guarantee a consistent stream of electricity when it’s solar panels and windmills aren’t generating power. This means that Oregon needs batteries that can store enough energy to last through periods when it’s more difficult to generate renewable energy. Oregon’s Department of Energy should partner with energy providers to expedite the construction of powerful batteries so they can be ready for Oregon’s 100% renewable energy economy in 2040.

Another option is to use nuclear energy in addition to renewable energy. Unfortunately, nuclear energy often gets a bad rap because of the nuclear disasters sprinkled throughout history. As a result, the U.S. is hesitant to embrace nuclear power. Meanwhile, other countries have shown that robust and safe nuclear power plants are prospering. It’s time for the U.S. to learn from these countries and catch up with respect to this powerful source of clean energy.

The typical reasons cited for why we shouldn’t pursue nuclear energy are increasingly feeble. Specifically, if we shut down every industry that had a low risk of catastrophic events, we wouldn’t have a strong economy. No one, for example, thinks we should ban airline travel because horrible crashes occur from time to time. Instead, we learn from other countries and push industry stakeholders to make airline travel safer. We rely on planes for transportation across the globe, and it wouldn’t make much sense to do away with all of them to protect us from a tiny risk.

The same is true for nuclear energy; instead of dismissing nuclear energy, it would be wise to learn from past mistakes and build top-of-the-line power plants that can produce energy when resources like solar panels cannot. In today’s modern-day and age, the nation is much more capable of developing safe and effective nuclear power plants than ever before.

At the end of the day, if Oregon manages to accomplish these goals it will only make a small dent in the global warming crisis. I won’t pretend that one state can make a big enough of a difference to offset the emissions of the entire country. But that’s not the goal. The best thing we can do at a local level to make a large-scale impact is to show that carbon-neutral communities are attainable. Some states might be less resistant to moving away from fossil fuels if Oregon showed that the process was practical.

Oregon is already light-years ahead of most states in the country in the fight against global warming, but if we are to avoid a 2 degree or 3 degree increase in global temperature, Oregon needs to do even more. The actions we take and the blueprint we make can shape how other states perceive climate change solutions. Oregon can be a leader to other states if it shows that the right investments can effectively mitigate global warming and bolster the economy. Once we prove that nuclear energy can safely power a state and that electricity can power parts of the economy that were previously off-limits, other states are more likely to follow Oregon’s lead in embracing a carbon-neutral future.

Jared is a Politics, Policy, Law and Ethics Major at Willamette University, aspiring to bring Oregon together to achieve more representative elections and a sustainable energy program to brag about.

This article originally appeared in The Oregon Way.

The Oregon Way blog features opinion pieces from contributors across the state and the political spectrum with the intent of identifying common values among Oregonians.

 

NUKE NEWS

Small is beautiful in South Korea’s pivot back to nuclear power

September 2, 2021
in Korea


SEOUL — South Korea has embraced mini reactors as part of the government’s approach to achieving carbon neutrality, even though the move backpedals from President Moon Jae-in’s earlier pledge to phase out nuclear power.

The small modular reactors, or SMRs, will be developed primarily at Munmu Daewang Science Research Center, which is scheduled to open in 2025 in the city of Gyeongju. The government earmarked 326.3 billion won ($281 million) for construction, and the whole project is expected to cost over $500 million.

“Our country will further develop nuclear technology as the driving force for energy and the economy,” Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said at the groundbreaking ceremony in late July.

The complex will house 16 research facilities. Apart from SMRs, the research center will explore technology for storing nuclear waste and dismantling reactors.

A single SMR generates less than 5% of the electrical output of a conventional nuclear plant. This reactor is submerged in a pool of water, an arrangement deemed safer than that of regular reactors. SMRs also cut costs because critical components can be made at factories and assembled on site.

Russia has begun commercial operation of SMRs. The U.S. and U.K. are conducting research and development on the small-scale reactors. Last summer, a model from American startup NuScale Power won design approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

South Korea’s Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, which possesses the expertise to manufacture turbines and other SMR components, is participating in NuScale’s project. Seoul is tapping universities and state-affiliated research institutions to advance R&D into next-generation nuclear power.

But even if SMR technology is fully established, the government likely will spend much time negotiating with locals and acquiring land for the new reactors. Disposal of nuclear waste remains a challenge in South Korea, and safeguarding against terrorism will be imperative.

Moon won the presidency in 2017 in part by campaigning against nuclear power. Once in office, Moon said he would scrap plans to build nuclear plants and forbid aging facilities from prolonging operation.

But he backed away from those declarations after experts argued against the planned cancellations of plant projects already under construction. The administration also restarted plants that were suspended for inspections after businesses and consumers complained of tight power supplies and rate hikes.

South Korea’s nuclear plants operated at 67% of capacity in 2018 from over 80% prior to Moon’s inauguration in 2017. But the figure returned to 75% as of 2020.

Driving the government’s support for SMR research is the stated goal of attaining net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century.

“We will have to make nuclear power a key source of energy for the next 60 years,” Kim said in a parliamentary debate in June.

Nuclear power accounted for 18.2% of South Korea’s energy mix last year, the third-largest category after liquefied natural gas at 32.3% and coal at 28.1%. Megasolar farms are unworkable because South Korea contains little flatland.

South Korea would “approach fantasy” if it expected to attain carbon neutrality while abandoning nuclear power, said Park Ju-heon, economics professor at Dongduk Women’s University in Seoul.

Source link

Partners to study deployment of SMRs at Polish coal plant

01 September 2021

Polish chemicals group Synthos and energy group ZE PAK have signed an investment agreement to explore the construction of four to six BWRX-300 small modular reactors (SMRs) at the site of ZE PAK's Pątnów coal-fired power plant in central Poland. Synthos, which has exclusive rights in the country for GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's (GEH's) small nuclear reactors, will participate in the project as both an investor and the technology provider.

The Pątnów I coal-fired power plant (Image: ZE PAK)

Under the agreement, the companies intend to cooperate by establishing a joint venture to carry out activities in the field of nuclear energy, in particular the construction of power generation units based on GEH's BWRX-300 reactor, or "other optimal American SMR technologies". The planned investment in SMR units will be located at the Pątnów plant site, which has been generating electricity from lignite from a nearby opencast mine for several decades. Last year, ZE PAK announced its exit from coal-fired power generation by 2030.

ZE PAK is owned by Zygmunt Solorz, one of the largest private investors in Poland, while Synthos is owned by Michał Sołowow, owner of the largest private industrial group in Central and Eastern Europe.

"For several years I have been betting on clean and zero-carbon energy," Solorz said. "Solar, wind, hydrogen and nuclear are the most important energy sources we are investing in. PAK is the first coal-fired power producer in Poland that not only says it has a plan to move away from coal, but is actually moving away from it ... Investment in the atom is a gigantic opportunity for Poland, its people and businesses to access clean and cheap energy. Poland needs diverse, ecological sources of electricity and heat, both for all individual and corporate consumers."

He added, "Poland is the manufacturing hub of Europe, which requires emission-free and stable sources of energy. If we want to continue developing at a fast pace and become a more affluent society, and attract further foreign investment to us, we must have access to attractively priced energy."

ZE PAK CEO Piotr Woźny noted that the Pątnów site is also listed as a potential site for large nuclear power reactors in the government's Polish Nuclear Power Programme. "Our plans are not in competition with those of the state," he said. "SMRs will not replace the state's large-scale power generation, but they may be an excellent supplement to it and gradually replace some of the power generated from fossil fuels, and in the near future they may help compensate for the lack of available capacity in the power system, resulting from the decommissioning of subsequent coal-fired units and increasing demand for electricity."

GEH said: "We applaud this announcement and fully support the vision to replace coal with carbon-free nuclear generation. We agree that the BWRX-300 small modular reactor is ideally suited for this application and we look forward to broadening our partnership with Synthos Green Energy to help Poland achieve its decarbonisation goals."

In June, Synthos and petrochemical firm PKN Orlen agreed to cooperate on micro modular reactors and SMRs. Under an agreement, both companies will jointly carry out research and explore the feasibility of deploying such reactors at Orlen's production plants in Poland.

In 2019, Synthos Green Energy - part of the Synthos Group - signed a cooperation agreement with GEH for the construction of the BWRX-300 reactor in Poland. The BWRX-300 is a 300 MWe water-cooled, natural circulation SMR with passive safety systems, based on GEH's US-licensed, 1520 MWe Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor design. Synthos in October last year began a regulatory dialogue with the Polish National Atomic Energy Agency on the possibility of building the BWRX-300 in Poland, with the support of US utility Exelon Generation, GEH and Finland's Fortum Power and Heat Oy.

Synthos announced in December 2020 the completion of a deployment feasibility study for the implementation of a fleet of GEH BWRX-300 SMRs in Poland. The study, which was prepared by Exelon, covers the analysis of key aspects of SMR technology implementation, including cost issues, personnel policy, regulatory and security issues, construction models and operational issues.

In November 2020, Synthos also signed a cooperation agreement with Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC), which is developing the high-temperature gas-cooled Micro Modular Reactor, or MMR. USNC and Synthos jointly applied to the Polish Ministry of Development for financing from the IPCEI mechanism (Important Projects of Common European Interest) for projects within the scope of the value chain of hydrogen technologies and systems. The goal of the joint project is the development of an economically efficient, zero-emission, high-temperature heat and power source for the production of hydrogen on an industrial scale.

US-Ukrainian energy partnership foresees five new reactors

01 September 2021

Ukraine and the USA have agreed to "deepen and intensify" their strategic cooperation in energy. Nuclear power leads a suite of agreements with a project to complete Khmelnitsky unit 4, followed up with four new AP1000 units at a total value of USD30 billion.

Jennifer Granholm and Herman Halushchenko sign to increase US-Ukrainian cooperation in Washington DC in the presence of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky (Image: DOE)

Agreements signed in Washington DC yesterday signalled "a new chapter of climate and energy cooperation with Ukraine," US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said. Her counterpart, the energy minister of Ukraine Herman Halushchenko, said, "We have common goals, among which the key is the decarbonisation of the energy sector and the achievement of a high level of energy security and stability in Eastern Europe."

The countries signed a joint statement on enhancing bilateral energy and climate cooperation during a visit to the USA by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. It states: "The participants intend to work to decarbonise Ukraine's economy and ensure its energy security and export potential by developing and implementing a comprehensive energy sector plan, one that provides for mutually beneficial cooperation in nuclear energy, solar and wind energy, hydrogen, energy storage, carbon capture utilisation and storage, cyber and physical security, and other supply and demand-side technologies."

New reactors

Key to achieving these joint goals will be the expansion of nuclear power in Ukraine by way of a project between US technology and reactor vendor Westinghouse and Ukraine's nuclear operator Energoatom. A Memorandum of Cooperation between them was signed by Patrick Fragman, Westinghouse president and CEO, and Petro Kotin, acting president of Energoatom.

As a "pilot project", Energoatom and Westinghouse envisage jointly completing the fourth reactor at the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant. This reactor started out as a VVER design reactor in 1987, but construction stalled at 28% completion and Ukraine has wanted to finish it for many years. The companies plan to complete it "using AP1000 technology" but did not explain how the two very different designs of pressurised water reactor would be combined.

Energoatom and Westinghouse also foresee four new AP1000 units being built at existing Ukrainian nuclear power plants. The total value of these and Khmelnitsky 4 is up to USD30 billion, according to their statements.

Westinghouse said the projects would "provide Energoatom and Ukraine with procurement, construction, licensing, operation, maintenance and localisation benefits." Halushchenko said, "Deepening Energoatom's partnership with Westinghouse will help strengthen our country's energy security. We will expand cooperation with the American company with a focus on energy security and independence of our state."

AP1000 units have a capacity of around 1150 MWe and five of them would take Ukraine's nuclear generation capacity from today's 13,100 MWe to 17,700 MWe. International Energy Agency figures for 2018 indicate that expansion on this scale could see nuclear providing as much as 72% of Ukraine's electricity and giving it the option to reduce the 31% it currently gets from coal or the 7% it gets from natural gas.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

'MAYBE' TECH

New Catalyst To Sustainably Generate Hydrogen From Ammonia at Low Temperatures

By TOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY SEPTEMBER 1, 2021

Ammonia, a carbon-free resource can be split into nitrogen and hydrogen gas with the help of metal catalysts like Nickel (Ni). However, these reactions often require very high operating temperatures. Now scientists from Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) have developed a highly efficient calcium imide (CaNH)-supported Ni catalyst that can decompose ammonia at temperatures 100°C lower than what conventional Ni catalysts require. This promising new catalyst can get us closer to sustainably producing hydrogen fuel.

The current global climate emergency and our rapidly receding energy resources have people looking out for cleaner alternatives like hydrogen fuel. When burnt in the presence of oxygen, hydrogen gas generates huge amounts of energy but none of the harmful greenhouse gases, unlike fossil fuels. Unfortunately, most of the hydrogen fuel produced today comes from natural gas or fossil fuels, which ultimately increases its carbon footprint.

Ammonia (NH₃), a carbon-neutral hydrogen compound has recently garnered a lot of attention owing to its high energy density and high hydrogen storage capacity. It can be decomposed to release nitrogen and hydrogen gases. Ammonia can be easily liquified, stored, and transported, and converted into hydrogen fuel when required. However, the production of hydrogen from ammonia is a slow reaction with very high energy demands. To speed up production, metal catalysts are often used, which help reduce the overall energy consumption during hydrogen production as well.

Recent studies have found that Nickel (Ni) is a promising catalyst for splitting ammonia. Ammonia gets adsorbed on the surface of Ni catalysts, following which the bonds between nitrogen and hydrogen in ammonia are broken and they are released as individual gases. However, obtaining a good conversion of ammonia using a Ni catalyst often involves very high operating temperatures.

In a recent study published in ACS Catalysis, a team of researchers from Tokyo Tech led by Associate Professor Masaaki Kitano described a solution to overcome the issues faced by Ni-based catalysts. They developed a state-of-the-art calcium imide (CaNH)-supported Ni-catalyst that can achieve good ammonia conversion at lower operating temperatures. Dr. Kitano explains, “Our aim was to develop a highly active catalyst that would be energy efficient. Our addition of the metal imide to the catalyst system not only improved its catalytic activity but also helped us unravel the elusive working mechanism of such systems.”

The team discovered that the presence of CaNH resulted in the formation of NH^2- vacancies (V_NH) on the surface of the catalyst. These active species resulted in the improved catalytic performance of the Ni/CaNH at reaction temperatures that were 100°C lower than those necessary for the functioning of Ni-based catalysts. The researchers also developed computational models and conducted isotope-labeling to understand what is happening on the catalyst surface. The calculations proposed a Mars-van Krevelen mechanism that involved adsorption of ammonia onto the CaNH surface, its activation at the NH^2- vacancy sites, formation of nitrogen and hydrogen gas, and finally regeneration of vacancy sites promoted by Ni nanoparticles.

The highly active and durable Ni/CaNH catalyst can be successfully deployed for the generation of hydrogen gas from ammonia. Also, the insight into the mechanism of catalysis provided by this study can be utilized to develop a new generation of catalysts. “As the whole world is working together to build a sustainable future, our research is aimed at resolving the hiccups faced on our way to a cleaner hydrogen fuel economy,” concludes Dr. Kitano.

This is a ray of hope for the world’s low carbon-emission mission!

Reference: “Ammonia Decomposition over CaNH-Supported Ni Catalysts via an NH^2–-Vacancy-Mediated Mars–van Krevelen Mechanism” by Kiya Ogasawara, Takuya Nakao, Kazuhisa Kishida, Tian-Nan Ye, Yangfan Lu, Hitoshi Abe, Yasuhiro Niwa, Masato Sasase, Masaaki Kitano and Hideo Hosono, 19 August 2021, ACS Catalysis.
DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.1c01934