Canadian Nuclear Protects Global Democracy and Prosperity

As a young Canadian, I am deeply concerned about the future of global energy security and I support Canadian nuclear. I believe that a secure future requires decision-makers to understand and appreciate the vast benefits of Canada’s nuclear energy industry. Headlines surrounding nuclear energy and its place in the war in Ukraine such as “Russia says Ukraine storing arms at nuclear power plants, Kyiv denies claim” or “IAEA sends staff to all Ukraine nuclear power plants to reduce risk of accidents” frequently focus on the risks of using nuclear energy while ignoring many benefits. It is important to celebrate the achievements and progress made by Canadian nuclear energy. Recent dealings that the Canadian nuclear energy industry has had relating to the war in Ukraine exemplify how Canadian nuclear energy contributes to global prosperity and security.

Canadian Nuclear Energy & Ukraine

In October of last year, Cameco Corporation and Brookfield Renewable Partners announced they would be engaging in a strategic partnership to acquire Westinghouse Electric Company, one of the world’s largest nuclear services.

Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, Heather Exner-Pirot, called this deal “…a textbook example of how Canada’s vast resource wealth can be used to advance our interests, and those of our allies, on the world stage.” According to Exner-Pirot, the Cameco/Brookfield Westinghouse deal will help break the monopoly of Russia’s state-owned nuclear corporation, Rosatom, on high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU). This is a fuel source that has become necessary for many modern nuclear reactors. Exner-Pirot also emphasized the importance of Westinghouse’s capacity to replace much of the nuclear energy service Russia provides for eastern European countries, consequently providing these countries the option to limit their ties with Russia.

In an effort that will help Ukraine gain energy independence from Russia, Cameco has announced another deal with Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear utility, Energoatom. The terms allow for Cameco to provide sufficient volumes of natural uranium hexafluoride to meet Ukraine’s full nuclear fuel needs through 2035. While some key terms of the contract have yet to be agreed upon, the deal is expected to be finalized in the first quarter of 2023.

Nuclear Energy in Ukraine

Nuclear Energy makes up about 51% of all electricity generation in Ukraine. This electricity is produced by 15 reactors that are scattered across the country. The agreement made between Cameco and Energoatom has Cameco supplying 100% uranium hexafluoride for nine of Ukraine’s nuclear reactors in Rivne, Khemelnytskyy, and South Ukraine. The other six reactors located in the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant are currently under Russian control. The Cameco-Energoatom contract contains an option that allows Cameco to supply up to 100% of the fuel requirement for these six reactors should it return to Ukraine and Energoatom’s control.

Locations of Nuclear Reactors in Ukraine Via World Nuclear Association

Map of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine as of February 11, 2023 Via Institute for the Study of War and Critical Threats

Ukraine Without Power

A defining feature of Russia’s invasions strategy has been targeting critical infrastructure. In a single week last November, Russia launched targeted missile strikes against critical energy facilities in Kyiv which left 350,000 civilians with out power, 80 percent of which could not access to water either because of the airstrikes. To make up for losses through out the war, the Ukrainian Energy Agency has implemented scheduled power cuts and the people of Ukraine have limited their usage by 40 percent.

Despite the efforts by the Ukrainian Energy Agency, the people of Ukraine have still been made to endure with the effects of unpredictable power outages which have deprived them of basic necessities of life. In December, Amnesty International was able to speak to citizens of Ukraine who detailed how power outages affected their daily lives. Here is what they had to say:

• “Because traffic and streetlights do not work during blackouts, it can be chaos, with everyone driving in different directions. When you go to class with your child and come back when it’s dark, you have to worry, because you can walk right through the crossing. The death rate of pedestrians on the roads has increased,”

• “Education is the foundation of a functioning society, yet in Ukraine, Russia is deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, including schools. Children cannot even study remotely due to a lack of electricity and heating. Russia is undermining the country’s present — and its future,”

• “There are few options for cooking. Feeding a child sausages every day is a bad situation but you can’t cook normal food as it takes an hour and a half to cook anything, so I steam couscous and sausages,”

• “When there is an air raid, no institutions that provide healthcare services such as clinics, private hospitals, other institutions, shops, public transport — can work.”

Canada’s Nuclear Energy Solutions

Because of our resource capabilities, innovational ability and political institutions, Canada is uniquely positioned as a solution the worlds nuclear energy issues:

• Canada has the third largest uranium reserves in the world;
• Canada is the second largest uranium exporter in the world;
• CANDU reactors (designed in Canada) are safer and have lower fuel costs to alternative types of reactors;
• Canada abides by the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and applies strong export controls to uranium to ensure all the uranium we export is used for peaceful purposes.

The Cameco-Brookfield-Westinghouse and Cameco-Energoatom deals are only the latest of many examples of the benefits Canadian nuclear has around the world. As of right now people living in Argentina, China, India, Pakistan, Romania and South Korea are able power their homes with sustainable energy because of CANDU reactor technology.

In Conclusion,

By giving people in Ukraine the ability to complete basic tasks such as going to doctors appointments or cooking a decent meal, we provide them with the energy to defend their country and its democratic values. By sharing our valuable resources and technologies, Canada’s nuclear energy industry is supporting democracy and enabling prosperity for people all over the world.

As a political science student and a young Canadian, I am deeply concerned about the future of global democracy. I have been fortunate enough to grow up in a world where democracy and human rights thrived better than at any period point in human history.

I support Canadian uranium mining and nuclear energy because I support the people of Ukraine in their struggle for democracy. I would encourage like-minded individuals to visit the Canadian Nuclear Association’s webpage on “The Advantages of Nuclear” to learn more about how Canadian nuclear energy powers the lives of people who share Canada’s values.

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