Northern Alberta County Split Over Nuclear Power Plant Proposal

A sign put up to protest nuclear energy in the County of Northern Lights, Alta. by the Northern Action Alliance (Juri Agapow).Alberta’s County of Northern Lights is located along the Peace River about halfway between Edmonton and the Northwest Territories and has long been favoured by nuclear energy companies for one primary reason: it has ample access to frigid river water for cooling nuclear reactors. Fifty-seven percent of voters expressed opposition in a non-binding Oct. 20 plebiscite to a nuclear power station with two to four reactors proposed by Energy Alberta due to environmental concerns. A similar proportion of voters said they wanted more information before making a decision on whether to support the proposal.