2023-08-12 01:47:54
The feasibility study on the revival of the Gentilly-2 nuclear power plant, located near Trois-Rivières, continues to generate reactions in the region and the one who was mayor of Bécancour for more than 17 years, Jean-Guy Dubois, little believe in a relaunch of Gentilly-2.
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“At the time it was, in my opinion, a decision that was both a bit political and a lot ideological. Now we have moved to another era. What regarding the danger? Well, I don’t think that has changed. But one variable has changed: it is that of the urgent need to protect the environment,” explained Jean-Guy Dubois.
In this regard, the director general of Environnement Mauricie believes that it is in particular the question of nuclear waste that poses a problem.
“Nuclear energy is not green energy, it is clean energy. That is to say, it emits very few greenhouse gases. In Quebec, we should move towards green energies, where they are from sustainable sources, they are renewable and generate very little waste,” said Lauréanne Daneau.
The economic question also raises questions, according to Louis Beaumier, executive director at the Trottier Energy Institute: “If you ask me today ‘should we invest in this sector or is it that we should relaunch Gentilly”, I have the very clear intuition that the cost will be prohibitive.”
It is also difficult, in the current economic context, to imagine the takeover of a plant that employed nearly 1,000 workers, according to economics professor Frédéric Laurin.
“We have labor shortages, housing shortages. The housing shortages, we may be able to solve the problem, but the labor shortages, we will be there for at least 10 or 15 years. It is a demographic imbalance and with the environmental constraints that we have today, what is needed is growth in value and not in volume, ”he added.
The issue of the health of residents living near the plant is also a concern. “There is the whole citizen issue and I, as mayor of a city, I ask Hydro-Québec to consider this aspect in its study”, mentioned Jean Lamarche, Mayor of Trois-Rivières.
The regional health authorities were unable to give us an accurate picture of the real health risks to residents near the plant.
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