Podcast: John Gorman on hitting Canada's climate goals, green bonds and SMRs
01 June 2022
The Canadian Nuclear Association's President and CEO John Gorman explains why the country's nuclear sector is well set for the future and says he thinks "soft issues" rather than technology are now the barrier to reaching net-zero. In Focus sees Francois Morin providing a guide to the nuclear industry in China, while the news round-up considers the impact of recent elections.
Gorman made the switch from the head of the Canadian Solar Industries Association to the Canadian Nuclear Association three years ago. Some of his colleagues were "dismayed" at the time of his move to nuclear but, as he tells World Nuclear News, they have now formed a coalition - the Electricity Alliance Canada - to jointly put the case for clean electricity in the country.
Canada is likely to see a doubling or tripling of electricity generation in the decades to come, with conventional and small modular reactors (SMRs) likely "to play an important role in helping Canada create the amount of clear electricity that is needed, where it’s needed".
Although there was disappointment that nuclear was specifically excluded from the government’s green bond scheme last year, there has since been funding announced for nuclear innovation and for the country's regulator, which could help fast-track new developments. He says these are part of a "shift for the positive here in Canada with nuclear being recognised as being clean and needed for a low-carbon future".
Looking to the future, Gorman says that "technology is no longer the barrier or bottleneck to reaching a net-zero future … what keeps me up at night, to be honest, are the softer issues around this". These include getting community acceptance for infrastructure projects, developing supply chains to meet growing demands as well as ensuring there are enough people with the skills and knowledge required to avoid bottlenecks.
The WNN news round-up for May
There have been a host of recent presidential and parliamentary elections - from France and the Philippines to South Korea and Australia. Warwick Pipe examines what are likely to be the implications for the nuclear energy sectors in those countries, while Claire Maden reports on the World Nuclear Fuel Cycle conference, where senior industry figures discussed the implications of recent geopolitical events as well as considering the various financial instruments and their implications on the fuel cycle and the uranium market.
In Focus: Nuclear Power in China
China Director at World Nuclear Association, Francois Morin, sets out the history dating back to the 1950s of China and nuclear, and details the huge number of reactors being built and planned in the country, as well as considering what opportunities there are for foreign firms in China - and what the country's export hopes are.
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