Nuclear energy is gaining significant momentum in Canada¡¯s Ontario province, with new plans to expand an existing plant to become the world¡¯s largest and a pledge to add three small modular reactors to a site where another is already being built.
The news marks a shift for an industry that has been stalled for decades amid fears about safety and cost overruns. It¡¯s also seen as a critical step in modernizing an aging power grid that needs to add capacity without boosting already high electricity costs, or threatening emissions goals.
The 2011 Fukushima No. 1 meltdown ¡ª the worst disaster since Chernobyl ¡ª slammed the global brakes on nuclear power plans. The Vogtle debacle in the U.S. also provided grist for nuclear¡¯s opponents, in the form of yearslong delays and a price tag $16 billion over budget.
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