The Government of Quebec is studying the potential benefits of relaunching the province’s only nuclear reactor.
Hydro-Québec is looking into restarting the Gentilly-2 reactor in the community of Bécancour as energy demand grows in the province of 8.5 million people.
Quebec Energy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon said at a news conference that his government supports the study, which is being undertaken as Quebec moves away from fossil fuels and explores alternative energy sources.
The provincial government closed Gentilly-2 in 2012 because of the high cost of refurbishing the plant, which first opened in 1983.
Environmental groups and the public have raised concerns about nuclear power plants, particularly after an explosion at a facility in Fukushima, Japan in 2011.
Greenpeace Canada and opposition politicians have criticized the study into relaunching the Gentilly-2 reactor and have called on the Quebec government to hold a national discussion on the province’s energy future.
