Ottawa -- The Belgian parliament passed legislation today to end the country’s reliance on nuclear energy and phase out its nuclear reactors. The legislation bans the construction of new nuclear reactors and limits the licences of the country’s seven reactors to a maximum of 40 years. Currently, 57% of Belgium’s electricity is produced by the country’s seven nuclear reactors.

Shawn-Patrick Stensil, National Coordinator for the Campaign for Nuclear Phaseout, lauded the Belgian legislation. “Belgium’s decision is yet another sign that the world is abandoning nuclear energy. After 50 years of making and breaking promises to provide clean and cheap electricity, no one is taking nuclear energy seriously any more” Stensil said. “And countries like Belgium have realized that nuclear energy is a dead end and are moving on to safe, green, and dependable energy alternatives.”

By passing the nuclear phaseout legislation, Belgium joins a majority of European Union countries that are either non-nuclear or have their own plans to phase out their nuclear reactors. Switzerland will be holding a referendum on the future of its nuclear energy programme in 2003.

Canada, Stensil explained, should learn from the examples of Belgium and Europe and phase out its nuclear reactors. “Canada can start phasing out its nuclear reactors now. We can start by not rebuilding and restarting Canada’s aging CANDU’s. Let’s leave nuclear energy behind and invest in safe and sustainable energy sources.” Stensil pointed to the attempted restart of the four Pickering A reactors as yet another example of wasted tax-payer money. The cost estimates of restarting the four Pickering A reactors in Ontario has skyrocketed from $ 800 million to more than $ 2.5 billion.

In Canada, only Ontario, Québec and New Brunswick have nuclear reactors. Eight of Ontario’s twenty reactors have been shut down since 1997 because of poor performance and safety problems. Canada’s only other reactors, the Point Lepreau station in New Brunswick and Québec’s Gentilly-2 have aged prematurely and must be rebuilt or closed by the end of the decade.

“What we really need is a public debate on the future of nuclear energy in Canada,” Stensil concluded. “Despite fifty years of development and billions of dollars in public subsidies, Canada has never had a public debate on nuclear energy policy. After 50 years we know full well the problems of nuclear energy. It’s time for a open and public debate. The Belgians have done it. Why can’t we?”

The federally owned Crown corporation Atomic Energy of Canada Limited has received over 17 billion dollars in subsidies over its 50 year history.

A French version of the Belgium nuclear phaseout legislation is available at:
www.lachambre.be/cgi bin/docs.bat?l=f&dir=1910

For further information please contact:
Campaign for Nuclear Phaseout
613-789-3634