Bruce Power is applauding the commitment to clean energy, including nuclear, announced last week by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. President Barack Obama and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.
The three countries will strive to achieve a goal of 50 per cent clean power generation for North America by 2025, including nuclear, renewable, and carbon capture and storage technologies, as well as demand reduction through energy efficiency.
A range of initiatives were announced to support this goal, including collaborating on cross-border transmission projects and joint research to advance clean technologies.
Priority areas listed include nuclear energy, smart grids and energy storage, reducing methane emissions, carbon capture and advanced heating and cooling.
In a news release from Bruce Power, the company stated that the three-country agreement will lead to the creation of thousands of jobs in the clean energy sector and support a clean growth economy.
The 55 nuclear reactors in the Great Lakes Region directly and indirectly employ over 80,000 highly skilled workers annually through operations, manufacturing, support and contracts.
These facilities combine to inject an estimated $10 to $12 billion a year into the Great Lakes economies through direct and indirect spending in operational equipment, supplies, materials and labour income.