Thread by @KHayhoe

@leifsolmunde @ScottLuft @FrantaJaro @thiesbeckers @kirstygogan @ChristiAnne67 @6point626 @EnergyJvd @Gen_Atomic @pinkheretic @Thoughtscapism @nuclearkatie Hello Mathijs + everyone you tagged on this mock-up you’ve prepared. The question of why Ontario’s electricity prices have increased is definitely complex; to do it justice we’d have to devote an entire Global Weirding episode to it (which I’m afraid no one would watch 😁) /1

@leifsolmunde @ScottLuft @FrantaJaro @thiesbeckers @kirstygogan @ChristiAnne67 @6point626 @EnergyJvd @Gen_Atomic @pinkheretic @Thoughtscapism @nuclearkatie If you dig into the original literature, it’s clear that a big part of it even today is paying off the debt incurred from building nuclear in the 80s and 90s, and trading off these costs against necessary infrastructure updates /2

@leifsolmunde @ScottLuft @FrantaJaro @thiesbeckers @kirstygogan @ChristiAnne67 @6point626 @EnergyJvd @Gen_Atomic @pinkheretic @Thoughtscapism @nuclearkatie Shutting down the coal plants was also a factor, as this required more natural gas (which I mention) as well as the refurbishment of current nuclear that began in 2016 and will not be completed until 2033 and will increase nuclear costs in the meantime /3

@leifsolmunde @ScottLuft @FrantaJaro @thiesbeckers @kirstygogan @ChristiAnne67 @6point626 @EnergyJvd @Gen_Atomic @pinkheretic @Thoughtscapism @nuclearkatie However, the fee charged to consumers by the province apparently exceeded the costs of the wind/solar/gas/nuclear picking up coal’s slack, and then there’s the 20-year contracts that were designed to limit financial risk of overrun but that they are still paying for today 😬 /4

@leifsolmunde @ScottLuft @FrantaJaro @thiesbeckers @kirstygogan @ChristiAnne67 @6point626 @EnergyJvd @Gen_Atomic @pinkheretic @Thoughtscapism @nuclearkatie So you are right that nuclear refurbishment and increased natural gas costs are not the only reasons. But you are wrong that nuclear has nothing to do with it - given that it supplies the majority of our power in Ontario, how could it not?! /5

@leifsolmunde @ScottLuft @FrantaJaro @thiesbeckers @kirstygogan @ChristiAnne67 @6point626 @EnergyJvd @Gen_Atomic @pinkheretic @Thoughtscapism @nuclearkatie Our Global Weirding videos keep it pretty simple, but I am happy to add a detailed note to the YouTube desciprtion that lays this all out and provides sources for any who want to dig deeper. /6

@leifsolmunde @ScottLuft @FrantaJaro @thiesbeckers @kirstygogan @ChristiAnne67 @6point626 @EnergyJvd @Gen_Atomic @pinkheretic @Thoughtscapism @nuclearkatie If you would care to update your understanding, here are some key resources I recommend:
1/ institute.smartprosperity.ca/sites/default/…
2/ theglobeandmail.com/news/national/…
3/ fao-on.org/en/Blog/Public…
4/ oeb.ca/rates-and-your…

I had hoped for a constructive engagement, as I certainly have a lot more to learn in this field—but yet again, the first response is to call me stupid + the second is to laud the person who did it. I don’t block for differences of opinion, but I do for inability to be civil 😢