OECD
THE ROLE OF PENSION FUNDS IN FINANCING GREEN GROWTH INITIATIVES

 49016671.pdf (oecd.org)

Abstract/Résumé

Abstract: It is estimated that transitioning to a low-carbon, and climate resilient economy, and more broadly „greening growth‟ over the next 20 years to 2030 will require significant investment and consequently private sources of capital on a much larger scale than previously. With their USD 28 trillion in assets, pension funds - along with other institutional investors - potentially have an important role to play in financing such green growth initiatives.

Green projects - particularly sustainable energy sources and clean technology - include multiple technologies, at different stages of maturity, and require different types of financing vehicle. Most pension funds are more interested in lower risk investments which provide a steady, inflation adjusted income stream - with green bonds consequently gaining interest as an asset class, particularly - though not only - with the SRI universe of institutional investors.

Yet, despite the interest in these instruments, pension funds‟ asset allocation to such green investments remains low. This is partly due to a lack of environmental policy support, but other barriers to investment include a lack of appropriate investment vehicles and market liquidity, scale issues, regulatory disincentives and lack of knowledge, track record and expertise among pension funds about these investments and their associated risks. To tap into this source of capital, governments have a role to play in ensuring that attractive opportunities and instruments are available to pension funds and institutional
investors.

This paper examines some of the initiatives that are currently under way around the world to assist and encourage pension funds to help finance green growth projects. It is drafted with a view to inform current OECD work on engaging the private sector in financing green growth. Different financing mechanisms are outlined, and suggestions made as to what role governments in general, and pension fund regulatory and supervisory authorities in particular, can play in supporting pension funds investment in this sector. The paper concludes with the following policy recommendations: provide supportive environmental policy backdrop; create right investment vehicles and foster liquid markets; support investment in green infrastructure; remove investment barriers; provide education and guidance to investors; improve pension fund governance.

Researchers find several oceanic bottom circulation collapses in the past 4.7 million years

by Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nodules on the seafloor at the study site, photographed by an underwater camera. 

Credit: Yao Huiqiang

Antarctic bottom water (AABW) covers more than two-thirds of the global ocean bottom, and its formation has recently decreased. However, its long-term variability has not been well understood.

Researchers led by Prof. Deng Chenglong from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics (IGG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and their collaborators have reconstructed AABW history back to approximately 4.7 million years ago (mya). They found that AABW has collapsed several times and such collapses might have induced moisture transport to fuel the Northern Hemisphere glaciation (NHG).

This work was published in Science Advances on Feb. 24.

The study was based on a 36-mm-diameter Fe-Mn nodule from the Eastern Pacific, located 5,050 m below sea level. The nodule was collected by Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey.

Magnetic scanning was an important factor in providing precise dating results. "This is a key, though the final dating was obtained by an integration with 10Be/9Be, flux of metal Co, and astronomical tuning," said Dr. Yi Liang from Tongji University, first author of the study and a postdoc at IGG/CAS.

"Since AABW is the main provider of oxygen in the ocean bottom region, we used various scientific methods to identify the relation between metal accumulation in the Fe-Mn nodule and oceanic redox conditions," said Prof. Deng. "Ni, Mn, and Cu contents are used to indicate AABW changes."

AABW record from the Eastern Pacific and major AABW, NADW, and NHG events. Credit: Deng Chenglong’s group

These results show that seawater oxygen has experienced a linear increase in the Eastern Pacific since around 3.4 mya. This trend agrees with the observation of the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS), suggesting a covariation between them.

Comparing the AABW record with other geological records from the past million years, the researchers found a glacial enhancement of oceanic bottom circulation. This observation implies that atmospheric CO2 may have been regularly stored in the deep ocean when Earth's climate was cold, e.g., during past glacial periods.

The comparisons clearly highlighted seven intervals of poor seawater oxygen, suggesting AABW influence was reduced to a much lower level. These periods are known as AABW collapse and accompanied an enhancement of North Atlantic Deepwater (NADW) as well as key stages of NHG history, such as when NHG became intensified or amplified.

Investigated Fe-Mn nodule and its age model. Credit: Deng Chenglong’s group

Although we don't know what will happen in response to ongoing AIS melting and AABW slowing, AABW collapse might have pulled the Earth into a harsher glacial climate several times in the past.

More information: Liang Yi et al, Plio-Pleistocene deep-sea ventilation in the Eastern Pacific and potential linkages with Northern Hemisphere glaciation, Science Advances (2023). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add1467. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.add1467

Journal information: Science Advances 

Provided by Chinese Academy of Sciences 

Quo vadis Antarctic bottom water?

How this facility in central Alberta is giving new life to oil waste

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Recover Energy has used 200 loads of waste and produced 

40,000 barrels of base oil

Liam Harrap · CBC News · Posted: Feb 26, 2023 

Paul Sudlow, vice-president of projects at Recover Energy Services Inc., holds up a jar of recycled oil, extracted from drilling waste. (Liam Harrap/CBC)

Out of the thousands of oil facilities that dot Brazeau County, one stands out from the rest.

Instead of producing, compressing or pumping fuel, Recover Energy Services Inc. recycles oil from drilling waste. 

The company's facility is located just outside Lodgepole, about 170 kilometres southwest of Edmonton. 

"I'm pretty proud of what our team has accomplished here," CEO Stan Ross said.

When a new oil well gets drilled, sometimes thousands of metres deep, companies use a drilling fluid, such as an oil-based mud. This is to help lubricate the drill and carry chunks of rock and ground out of its way. 

It's all in the mud

This isn't the kind of mud typically found in a farmer's field. It's a mixture of oil, brine, emulsifiers, wetting agents, clay, lime and other chemicals. 

"It's kind of like being a bartender," Reg Patterson, president of Barron Base Oil Corporation, said. The company produces oil-based mud. 

"You can't drill a well without some type of fluid," he said. 

In most cases, drilling waste — which resembles wet concrete —  is mixed with sawdust, which can double the amount. The waste is then sent to a class II landfill, taking years to break down. 

Stan Ross is the CEO of Recover Energy Services Inc. (Liam Harrap/CBC)

In 2021, there were just under 1,800 new oil wells in Alberta, according to the Alberta Energy Regulator. Each new well can produce 17 trucks of waste or about 500 metric tons, Ross said. 

Recover Energy takes drilling waste and extracts a base oil from it, since November 2021. Manufacturers, such as Barron Base Oil Corporation, use this base oil to make more mud to help drill for more oil. 

"There's not an unlimited supply of base oils," Patterson said. "So having a locally produced product from Alberta is definitely beneficial to everyone,"

After extraction, Recover Energy. dries out what remains and sends it to the landfill as it still has some contaminants, like residual chlorides.

However, it's still a much lower amount being sent to the dump overall, Ross said. 

Recover Energy in Brazeau County takes drilling waste, also known as mud, and extracts oil. In just over a year, the company has accepted about 200 loads of waste and produced more than 40,000 barrels of base oil. (Liam Harrap/CBC)

In theory, with more refining, the base oil could be turned into diesel fuel, Ross said. 

To get the base oil, Recover Energy, uses a solvent called hexane, a compound typically used to extract vegetable oils, such as canola. 

The company also recovers the hexane and reuses it.

Reducing GHG emissions 

Within a year, Recover Energy has accepted about 200 loads of waste and produced more than 40,000 barrels of base oil. By doing so, Ross said, the company has avoided up to 68,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions due to less waste being sent to the landfill. 

That's equal to taking approximately 14,000 cars off the road for a year, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

"It's phenomenal," said Gurpreet Lail, CEO for Enserva, the national trade association that represents energy services and supply companies. 

This new technology, she said, could be a game changer. 

"There's tons of innovations taking place right now." 

While there are other technologies, such as thermal, that process drill waste, said Ross, none are as environmental as Recover Energy.

"Our carbon footprint is extremely low for what we're accomplishing." 

Recover Energy has identified more than 20 other locations it could expand to throughout North America. 

Additionally, the company takes the drill waste for free, making its profit from selling the base oil. 

Backhoe piles dried out drilling waste, after oil from it has been extracted. From here, the dried out mud goes to the dump. (Liam Harrap/CBC)

Going green 

In 2021, Brazeau County launched the Western Economic Corridor initiative to diversify its economy. 

While the area has approximately 10,000 oil and gas facilities, it's trying to attract cleaner technology. 

"One man's waste might be another man's gold," said county reeve Bart Guyon. "We're finding that other businesses are taking a look to see how can we help green the barrel of oil." 

Part of that attraction is reducing costs. 

Recover Energy is a oil waste recycling facility near Lodgepole, about 170 kilometres south west of Edmonton. (Liam Harrap/CBC)

Since 2015, the county has reduced taxes by 30 per cent. If residents and businesses pay by the end of June, they qualify for an additional 30 per cent municipal tax cut. 

"People run to pay their taxes here," said Guyon. 

Other green projects in the country include a floating wetland to help break down sewage and a company trying to find easier ways to send crude oil through pipelines. 

"Oil and gas are not going anywhere, but the combustion engine obviously is," Brian Jean, minister of jobs, economy and northern development, said during a county facility tour held in mid-February.

"We are an energy superpower here in Alberta and we have to make sure we are at the forefront of all technologies necessary to go to the next step." 

Russia urges Bangladesh to resist sanctions pressure

22 February 2023

Bangladesh's ambassador in Moscow was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry after "several dozen" Russian vessels were banned from calling at ports in Bangladesh, including at least one ship carrying equipment for the Rooppur nuclear power plant under construction.

The steam generator was installed in Rooppur unit 2 in October (Image: Rosatom)

The Russian Foreign Ministry's Maria Zakharova told a media briefing earlier this month that "as a specific example, we can mention the incident with the Russian ship Ursa Major, which in December 2022, at the request of the Americans, the authorities of Bangladesh withdrew their previously issued permission to enter the port of Mongla. Because of this, the delivery of a batch of equipment for the Rooppur NPP under construction was delayed for more than a month, which in no way meets the interests of the Bangladeshi side itself".

In a press briefing on Tuesday, following news that the ambassador had been summoned, Zakharova accused the USA of "increasingly forcing neutral countries to comply with anti-Russian sanctions".

"We have learned that several dozen Russian vessels have been banned from calling at ports in Bangladesh. We know that this unfriendly step was taken by the country's authorities not at all on their own initiative but under the threat of secondary sanctions by the United States ... it risks making the future of traditionally friendly Russia-Bangladesh relations contingent on the whims of a third country pursuing its own geopolitical goals.

"We expect the leadership of Bangladesh to find the strength to assert its national interests more resolutely. It is undoubtedly in their interest to develop a mutually beneficial partnership with Russia, which has come to the country's aid more than once in different periods of its history."

Russia's Tass news agency says that 69 Russian ships have been barred from the country's ports, although it said the Russian embassy in Bangladesh had confirmed there was no block on the import of Russian goods themselves, just the specific vessels.

Tass reported last week that the embassy had told it that work on Rooppur "is running according to plan, with all necessary equipment being supplied" with three ships carrying cargo for the facility arriving at the port of Mongla in Bangladesh. Tass also reported that Rosatom said that an alternative route for the delivery of cargo to the Rooppur NPP worksite had been found and was being utilised at the moment. On Thursday 23 February the Dhaka Tribune reported that power plant machinery (weighing a total of 1690 tonnes) from Russia for Rooppur had arrived, via an  Indian port, at Mongla that morning on a Bangladesh-flagged ship.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen was quoted by RTV News in Dhaka last month as saying "we don't want to accept ships which are under sanctions. We have developed good relations with the US" adding that it had been a surprise that Russia had sent a sanctioned vessel and he said he hoped that Russia would send non-sanctioned ships instead. The USA - and various other countries - have imposed a range of sanctions on Russia following its military action in Ukraine, which began in February 2022.

Rosatom in February 2011 signed an agreement for two reactors to be built at Rooppur for the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission. The initial contract for the project, worth USD12.65 billion, was signed in December 2015. The Rooppur plant, 160 kilometres from the capital Dhaka, will feature two Russian VVER-1200 reactors. Last October the project director Shaukat Akbar was quoted by the Dhaka Tribune as saying they were hoping to meet the target of starting production of the first unit on a trial basis by the end of 2023 and "be fully ready to supply in 2024".

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Reprieved Illinois plants to be uprated

22 February 2023

US utility Constellation has announced it will invest USD800 million in new equipment to increase the output of its Braidwood and Byron nuclear power plants in Illinois by some 135 MWe. They were among the Illinois nuclear plants saved from premature retirement by passage of the state Climate and Equitable Jobs Act in 2021.

The Braidwood (left) and Byron (right) plants (Image: Constellation)

The Braidwood and Byron projects involve replacing the main turbines at the two facilities with state-of-the-art, high efficiency units. The work on the uprates will be carried out in stages during scheduled refueling outages. Constellation expects to see increased output at the plants as early as 2026, with the full uprated output available by 2029.

Constellation said the additional 135 MWe of clean power output is "enough to power the equivalent of 100,000 average homes around the clock every year" and "the equivalent of removing 171,000 gas-powered vehicles from the road per year, or the equivalent of adding 216 intermittent wind turbines to the grid, using Environmental Protection Agency data".

The company said the project is expected "to create work for thousands of skilled union workers during construction while expanding economic activity for surrounding businesses in the plant communities. The additional jobs come on top of the 1200 permanent workers at the two plants".

"These investments in our world class nuclear fleet will allow us to generate more zero-carbon energy with the same amount of fuel and land, and that's a win for the economy, the environment and Illinois families and businesses who rely on our clean energy," said Constellation President and CEO Joe Dominguez. "These projects will help create family-sustaining jobs and are a direct result of state and federal policies that recognise the incredible value of nuclear energy in addressing the climate crisis while keeping our grid secure and reliable."

Since the passage of Illinois' Climate and Equitable Jobs Act in 2021, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) last year, which provides a base level of support for nuclear energy nationwide. Both pieces of legislation have enabled renewed investment in nuclear energy, Constellation said.

"Support for nuclear in the IRA has made extending the lives of US nuclear assets to 80 years more likely assuming continued support," it said. "It has caused Constellation to examine nuclear uprate opportunities that were cancelled a decade ago due to market forces. The 45Y tax credit for the production of new carbon-free electricity helps make these investments economic".

Byron's pressurised water reactors (PWRs) began commercial operation in 1985 and 1987, and are currently licensed by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to operate until 2044 and 2046, respectively. Braidwood's two PWRs entered commercial operation in July and October 1988, respectively. Unit 1 is licensed until 2046, and unit 2 until 2047.

Last October, Constellation announced it is seeking to extend the operating licences of its Clinton and Dresden nuclear power plants, also in Illinois, by an additional 20 years. If approved by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, this would enable Clinton's single boiling water reactor (BWR) to continue operating until 2047 and Dresden's two BWRs until 2049 (unit 2) and 2051 (unit 3).

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

ČEZ and Škoda JS expand use of 3D printing


23 February 2023

The Czech firms ČEZ and Škoda JS say that 4159 plastic and metal parts were produced using a 3D printer over the last year, helping to avoid delays caused by disrupted supply chains and boosting energy independence.

(Image: ČEZ)

The companies said that "during the first year the deployment of parts from 3D production contributed to reducing downtime and increasing power plant production, without affecting the safe supply of electricity".

The printers can produce metal parts weighing up to 600kg. ČEZ currently uses the printed parts mainly in the non-nuclear parts of power plants, and the companies have mainly focused on printing plastics or smaller metal parts.

Disruption to supply chains from the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine meant the company had to innovate to replace defective components with new parts rather than have to wait months for standard production.

Bohdan Zronek, ČEZ board member and director of the nuclear energy division, said: "It is another of the steps ... to the strengthening of our independence in the supply of spare parts and the planned operation of the nuclear units for at least 60 years. Thanks to 3D technology we can produce new, completely identical components, which is important in the event that the supplier no longer exists or does not produce the part."

František Krček, CEO of Škoda JS, said: "The choice of 3D printing technology depends on the material and requirements for the given part. Then, using 3D scanning, we prepare the data and can start printing. We can produce simpler parts in a few hours."

He said: "A shaft is always better and cheaper to produce using machine tools. For parts with a very complex shape, such as a gear wheel for a gearbox, it is better to use 3D technology."

Škoda JS has 3D printers for the production of large metal parts at its plant in Pilsen, and also has the smaller printers at both Czech nuclear power plants. It said it "would like to expand the supply of 3D parts for the nuclear part" of the ČEZ plants as well.

The Czech Republic already uses nuclear power for 34% of its electricity, generating this from four reactors at Dukovany and two at Temelín. ČEZ is currently evaluating bids from Westinghouse, EDF and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power for the construction of a new reactor at Dukovany. Near Temelín, an area has been designated the South Bohemia Nuclear Park and earmarked for small reactors to operate in the early 2030s. The company said last month that, with the planned new build, it expected to almost double its nuclear workforce in the coming years.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Canadian university launches subcritical assembly project

23 February 2023

Ontario Tech University has begun pre-licensing activities for a new facility to support its undergraduate nuclear engineering programmes and for applied nuclear engineering research. The facility will be unique in Canada.

Graphite moderator rods and blocks will be part of the subcritical assembly (Ontario Tech Student Union)

A subcritical assembly - sometimes called a "teaching reactor" - is based on the same nuclear science principles as critical nuclear reactors but remains in a subcritical state, relying on an external source of neutrons to sustain the nuclear fission chain reaction. Unlike a nuclear power plant, which operates in a "critical" state where the nuclear chain reaction is self-sustaining, a subcritical assembly cannot sustain a chain reaction on its own, and stops operating unless the external source of neutrons is proactively supplied. It is incapable of generating power or electricity, or heat that requires cooling.

Ontario Tech - which runs Canada's only undergraduate nuclear engineering degree programme - says its Subcritical Assembly Project would enable enhanced hands-on, experiential learning opportunities for students, as well as supporting research to develop nuclear technologies and strategies to protect the environment and combat climate change.

The university said it expects to begin the full regulatory approval process shortly, and has already informed the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) that it intends to apply for an operation licence during the 2023/2024 financial year. It will "actively engage with Indigenous communities and the broader public" as the project develops. The CNSC's licensing process also encourages public participation.

Canada currently has no operating subcritical assembly, although two such facilities have operated in the past at Polytechnique Montréal, one of which was dismantled in 1982. According to its notification to the CNSC, Ontario Tech acquired "assets" from the Polytechnique Montreal's other legacy subcritical assembly in 2022. These assets are currently in storage at Ontario Tech's campus and, although they could possibly be used "as is", the university intends to amend the original design to make it better suited to meet its intended training and research purposes and to further enhance safety.

"The addition of this equipment would be a timely game-changer for our students and provide Ontario Tech with a unique-in-Canada tool for clean energy research and teaching," said Hossam Kishawy, dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at Ontario Tech. "Students in our Energy, Nuclear Engineering, and Radiation Science programmes would gain increased experiential learning opportunities, and be even further equipped for career readiness in their chosen fields," he added.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

IAEA to continue Zaporizhzhia safety zone efforts as war enters second year

24 February 2023

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Rafael Mariano Grossi said the agency will do all it can to ensure nuclear safety, as it publishes a report covering the events of the past year.

The IAEA has teams present at all Ukraine's nuclear power plants (Image: IAEA)

The 50-plus page report, Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguards in Ukraine, details the events since Russian military action began on 24 February 2022, focusing on the impact on the nuclear energy sector in the country and the efforts of the IAEA to minimise the risks of damage to nuclear facilities as a result of the conflict.

In his foreword, Grossi summarises the key events of the past year which has seen "several" of Ukraine’s five nuclear power plants and other facilities come under direct shelling: "Every single one of the IAEA's crucial seven indispensable pillars for ensuring nuclear safety and security in an armed conflict has been compromised, including the physical integrity of nuclear facilities; the operation of safety and security systems; the working conditions of staff; supply chains, communication channels, radiation monitoring and emergency arrangements; and the crucial off-site power supply.

"Two of Ukraine's nuclear power plants came under Russian control. The Chernobyl nuclear power plant and its Exclusion Zone - the site of the 1986 nuclear accident - were under Russian control for five weeks between 24 February and 31 March 2022. Zaporizhzhia NPP, which Russian troops entered on 4 March 2022, remains under Russian control."

He lists the assistance provided by the IAEA in "doing the important work of reducing the likelihood of a nuclear accident or incident in close cooperation with - and at the request of - the Ukrainian authorities".

Grossi adds: "The nuclear safety and security situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP continues to be fragile and potentially dangerous. We are fortunate that a nuclear accident has not yet come to pass, and we must do everything in our power to minimise the chance that it does. Since returning from my first mission to the Zaporizhzhia NPP in September 2022, I have been urging all parties to swiftly implement a nuclear safety and security protection zone to reduce the risk of a nuclear accident at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. This proposal has found wide international support, and I continue my efforts in working with all parties to agree on the implementation of this vital precautionary measure."

Although both sides are agreed on the principle of there being a safety and security zone at and around the nuclear plant, the months of discussions have yet to conclude an agreement on all the precise details of how it will work at Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which is located on the current frontline of Russian and Ukraine forces.

Grossi says: "As this tragic war enters its second year, I want to reassure the people of Ukraine and the international community that they can count on the IAEA, and me as its Director General, to do everything possible within our remit to assist them and to avert the danger of a nuclear accident that could cause even more suffering where there is already far too much."

In its conclusion, the report says: "The current situation in Ukraine is unprecedented and continues to be dangerous ... it is thanks to the extraordinary efforts of Ukrainian operating staff ... that all nuclear sites have continued to operate safely and securely to date. The resilience and dedication they have shown by continuing to perform their crucial work to the best of their abilities under difficult and stressful conditions affecting their health and well-being is to be commended."

It concludes with the message that "the current situation is untenable and the best action that can be taken to ensure the safety and security of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities is an end to the armed conflict. The IAEA remains committed to provide any support it can to help ensure the safe and secure operation of nuclear facilities and activities using radioactive sources in Ukraine both during the armed conflict and long after it ceases. The continued commitment and close cooperation of Member States with the IAEA is essential".

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

THE ONLY GREEN ABOUT THIS IS THE GLOW

Canadian government launches SMR support programme

24 February 2023

The Canadian government has launched a programme to support the commercial development of small modular reactors (SMRs), providing CAD29.6 million (USD21.8 million) of funding over four years to develop supply chains for SMR manufacturing and fuel supply and security, and to fund research on safe SMR waste management solutions

.

Julie Dabrusin announced the launch of the programme at the CNA's 2023 conference 

(Image: CNA)

The Enabling Small Modular Reactors Program was launched at the Canadian Nuclear Association's (CNA) annual conference by Julie Dabrusin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, on behalf of Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson.

"The safe and reliable clean energy provided by nuclear power is supporting us in removing coal and gas from the grid in Ontario and across Canada," Dabrusin said. "By investing in this next generation of nuclear technology, Canada can support its partners around the world in achieving their climate goals while exporting clean technologies and critical minerals like uranium to our global partners. This programme will help fight pollution and create sustainable jobs for generations to come."

Growing Canada's clean energy industries is vital as the country advances towards a net-zero grid by 2035, Wilkinson said: "Today's launch of the Enabling Small Modular Reactors Program is a step toward delivering more reliable, affordable and clean power to communities in regions across Canada."

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) was allocated the funding for research and development to support the conditions and frameworks necessary for SMRs to displace fossil fuels and contribute to climate change mitigation, under the 2022 federal budget. NRCan's call for applicants is the latest federal move in support of SMRs: the Canada Infrastructure Bank has committed to CAD970 million in financing for the project to build an SMR at the Darlington site in Ontario, and earlier this month, in partnership with NRCan, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) opened a call for proposals to support SMR projects under its Alliance Grants program.

Applicants under the Enabling SMRs Program can request up to CAD5 million for R&D projects, with the programme providing up to 75% of the total project costs, or up to 100% for projects led by Indigenous applicants. The average funding for a project is expected to be between CAD500,000 and CAD2.5 million depending on the size, scope, timeline and leveraged funding.

The programme aims to support projects that will help to develop supply chains for SMR manufacturing and fuel supply and security to support Canada’s SMR industry, and to fund research on waste management solutions to ensure that SMRs, and the waste they generate, will be safe now and into the future. Eligible applicants could include private companies, utilities, provinces and territories, universities and Indigenous groups, NRCAn said.

The deadline for applications is 7 April.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Ontario explores possibility of new, large scale nuclear plants

By Allison Jones The Canadian Press
Posted February 23, 2023 

Ontario's Darlington nuclear plant to receive first new reactor in decades – Dec 2, 2021


TORONTO — Ontario is exploring the possibility of building new, large-scale nuclear plants in order to meet increasing demand for electricity and phase out natural gas generation.

A report late last year by the Independent Electricity System Operator found that the province could fully eliminate natural gas from the electricity system by 2050, starting with a moratorium in 2027, but it will require about $400 billion in capital spending and more generation including new, large-scale nuclear plants.

Decarbonizing the grid, in addition to new nuclear, will require more conservation efforts, more renewable energy sources and more energy storage, the report concluded.

The IESO said work should start now to assess the reliability of new and relatively untested technologies and fuels to replace natural gas, and to set up large, new generation sources such as nuclear plants and hydroelectric facilities.

READ MORE: Feds puts nearly $1B toward Ontario small nuclear project

The province has not committed to a natural gas moratorium or phase-out, or to building new nuclear facilities other than its small modular reactor plans, but it is now consulting on the prospect.

A document recently posted to the government’s environmental registry asks for input on how best to engage the public and Indigenous communities on the planning and location of new generation and storage facilities.

Building new nuclear plants is “one pathway” toward a fully electrified system, Energy Minister Todd Smith said in an interview.

“It’s a possibility, for sure, and that’s why we’re looking for the feedback from Ontarians,” he said. “We’re considering all of the next steps.”

Environmental groups such as Environmental Defence oppose new nuclear builds, as well as the continued reliance on natural gas.

“The IESO’s report is peddling the continued use of natural gas under the guise of a decarbonization plan, and it takes as a given the ramping up of gas generation … and continues to rely on gas generated electricity until 2050, which is embarrassingly late,” said Lana Goldberg, Environmental Defence’s Ontario climate program manager.

“Building new nuclear is absurd when we have safe and much cheaper alternatives such as wind and solar power.”

The IESO has said the flexibility natural gas provides is needed to keep the system stable while new and relatively untested technologies are explored and new infrastructure gets built, but also as an electricity supply crunch looms.

READ MORE: Nuclear power station shut downs will leave Ontario relying on gas to generate electricity

Ontario is facing a shortfall of electricity with a nuclear plant set to be retired, others being refurbished, and increasing demands including from electric vehicles, new electric vehicle and battery manufacturing, electric arc furnaces for steelmaking, and growth in the greenhouse and mining industries.

The government consultation also asks whether “additional investment” should be made in clean energy in the short term in order to decrease reliance on natural gas, “even if this will increase costs to the electricity system and ratepayers.”

But Smith indicated the government isn’t keen on higher costs.

“We’re not going to sacrifice reliability and affordability,” he said. “We have to have a reliable and affordable system, otherwise we won’t have people moving to electrification.”

The former Liberal government faced widespread anger over high hydro bills _ highlighted often by the Progressive Conservatives, then in Opposition — driven up in part by long-term contracts at above-market rates with clean power producers secured to spur a green energy transition.

The current government consultation is open until May 14.

Alberta left to fend for itself during Coutts blockade

KELLY CRYDERMAN

PUBLISHED YESTERDAY

A truck convoy of anti-vaccine mandate demonstrators block the highway at the busy U.S. border crossing in Coutts, Alta., on Feb. 2, 2022.

JEFF MCINTOSH/THE CANADIAN PRESS

There are dozens of stories out of the sweeping report of the Public Order Emergency Commission, which was established to study Ottawa’s invocation of the Emergencies Act in February, 2022. The highest-profile accounts include policing failures during the “Freedom Convoy” protests, or how organizers’ descriptions of the demonstrations in Ottawa as lawful and calm belied a situation that was often unsafe and chaotic. It also includes how Ontario Premier Doug Ford avoided any direct involvement in the mess until his province’s key industries started to feel squeezed by the Ambassador Bridge blockade.

But in the discussion of the “failure of federalism” that the POEC’s commissioner, Justice Paul Rouleau, identified in his report, one of the least told stories is how political leaders in Ottawa didn’t even provide the courtesy of a response to Alberta when the provincial government made an urgent request for help to end the illegal border protest and blockade in Coutts. It seems out of sight, out of mind ruled the day – until the very end.

And while much was made of Mr. Ford’s failure to appear before the Emergencies Act inquiry, Jason Kenney – the Alberta premier at the time – said in a recent message to The Globe and Mail that he was never asked.

The narrative around Coutts is central to Ottawa’s reason for using the Emergencies Act – especially in the dramatic final days of the protest and blockade, when the RCMP used undercover operatives and emergency wiretaps to collect information on a small group of protesters allegedly hatching a violent plot. The risk of violence in Coutts was cited as a concrete manifestation as to why the federal government needed to invoke the legislation.

“The blockade at the Coutts Port of Entry was notable for its duration, complexity, and volatility, as well as the dramatic way in which it was resolved: an RCMP action that uncovered a cache of weapons and allegations of a conspiracy to murder police officers,” wrote Justice Rouleau.

But while talking about the necessity of using the Emergencies Act is important, reflecting on how the country got to that crisis stage is equally consequential.

In the days before the end, the story at Coutts was the province and the RCMP trying to remove the hundreds of tractors and trucks that blocked traffic and blared their horns beginning in late January, 2022. Coutts might not be the Ambassador Bridge, but it’s the busiest land border crossing in Alberta, operating 24/7. At the time of the protests, it was the only port of entry that could process livestock shipments because it had veterinary services. While border crossings were only formally suspended from Feb. 12-15, the protests starting in late January caused a range of disruptions, frequently blocking all traffic.

The RCMP was searching for the heavy equipment needed to move the vehicles and made a request to the Canadian Armed Forces, but was told the military did not have suitable supply.

The Alberta government was also looking. According to testimony at the commission from Marlin Degrand, an assistant deputy minister responsible for Alberta’s public security portfolio, provincial officials knew of heavy equipment at CFB Edmonton they believed could have been put into use. This was because Mr. Kenney was a former federal defence minister, and other provincial public servants had previously been in the military – including deputy minister Paul Wynnyk, a former vice chief of the Defence Staff.

There were some texts and phone calls between Alberta and federal cabinet ministers in early February, 2022. By Feb. 10, federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair wasn’t responding to texts from the province’s then-municipal affairs minister, Ric McIver.

Evidence tabled at the Emergencies Act inquiry also looked at messages from Mr. Kenney.

“Your guy has really screwed the pooch,” an unrestrained Mr. Kenney told federal Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc, according to texts from Mr. LeBlanc three days before the act was invoked. When asked by inquiry counsel whether “your guy” was a reference to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Mr. LeBlanc said he didn’t know.

“This trucker vax policy is obviously just dumb political theatre. Calling them all Nazis hasn’t exactly helped. And now the provinces are holding the bag on enforcement,” Mr. Kenney told Mr. LeBlanc.

The former premier also expressed exasperation at his inability to secure tow trucks and the federal government’s dismissal of an Alberta request to use military equipment, leading him to believe it “doesn’t really care about the international border being closed.”

Instead, the Alberta government went to searching on Kijiji and Truck Trader for vehicles with heavy tow capacity – eventually purchasing 12 vehicles on its own at a cost of $800,000.

A formal request from Alberta for assistance, sent as a letter on Feb. 5, simply went unanswered. A response letter from federal government, to say it couldn’t help, was never actually sent – the result of “human error,” according to Justice Rouleau. Mr. McIver would text Mr. Blair on Feb. 21, saying, “We received no help until after the Coutts issue was resolved, and you know that.”

For sure, there’s no love lost between Alberta and Ottawa. The division between Alberta’s UCP and the federal Liberals on a long list of issues played a role in this. A few UCP MLAs even went to meet with the protesters.

And lower levels of government said they, too, were left hanging. Jim Willett, the mayor of 250-person Coutts, said he didn’t receive the support he expected from either the provincial or federal government.

“In particular, he expected the provincial government to make better use of the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act,” says an interview summary from the commission. (Calgary pastor Artur Pawlowski was charged under that act with willfully damaging or destroying essential infrastructure.)

There’s no guarantee federal help would have sped the resolution in Coutts, or thwarted any violent plot. But there’s little evidence that federal officials tried much to improve the situation in Alberta. The Kenney government was sympathetic to some of the motivations behind the protests, and of the position that Ottawa should have lifted the vaccine mandates for truckers. But it also took concrete actions to try to stop the illegal road blockade at the province’s most important border crossing.

The Alberta government didn’t agree with Ottawa’s use of the Emergencies Act – Mr. Kenney has long said he was worried it would further inflame the situation. The Smith government still argues it was an unnecessary, dangerous precedent. However, it’s clear from evidence presented at Justice Rouleau’s inquiry that strain between the province and Ottawa also existed because federal cabinet ministers treated the emergency in Coutts as an afterthought compared with what was going on in their own backyard.

Justice Rouleau talked about the missing act of leaders rising “above politics and collaborate for the common good” during the Freedom Convoy protests. In that spirit, Alberta deserved a letter back.