Generally speaking, progressive political thinkers and environmental activists oppose Globalization and Neoliberalism. These ideologies are leading to increased centralization of decision-making, accelerated "development" and its corresponding environmental destruction and increased political and economic inequity. But especially for energy campaigners, neoliberalism isn't all bad, in fact it is the likely the "silver bullet" needed to kill the monster of nuclear power once and for all. If we are lucky, the title to the last chapter in the long fight against nuclear will be called "Electricity Price Liberalisation".

In August, Canada announced the "temporarily" closure of 8 reactors (one of which was already down), over one third of the nations entire fleet. They will only be restarted if the Ontario Hydro (which owns and operates them) finds significantly improved "economics and management" of the plants. Almost all independent commentators believe this will never happen. Ontario Hydro has the second highest electricity prices of the 12 provincial utilities in the country. That used to not matter, because the customers had no choice about who to buy from. With the passage of NAFTA (a common market agreement for North America) and US electricity liberalisation going into effect in mid 1998, North American customers, large and small, will be able to buy electricity from anywhere in the continent. Ontario Hydro has seen the writing on the wall. Close these expensive reactors or loose your customer base.

These domestic economic failings could have serious international effects. Canada is currently the largest nuclear exporter in the world, with contracts for 2 reactors in China, 2 in Korea and one for the second block of Cernavoda in Romania. Romania plans to join the EU, by the time it does a similar electricity price liberalisation will be in effect for western Europe - if Cernavoda 2 is forced to close down 15 to 20 years before its design life (as these Ontario Hydro plants have been), then it would make much more economic sense to stop building it today. The same is true for Temelin.

In fact, the Czech Republic is nearly certain to enter the EU before Romania. CEZ will be forced to compete for Czech customers with highly efficient gas fired plants and a growing collection of cost effective renewable sources (especially wind) from the rest of the continent. Temelin, which is already financially out of control and well over budget, may well be forced closed early (if it is ever completed), just like these reactors in Canada and 7 more in the US which have announced early closure in the last 9 months (again mostly due to price liberalisation).

Environmental activists in the US are preparing for liberalisation. They are forming alliances with the business people who sell electricity from clean sources. Their objective is to target the customers of nuclear power plants and get them to switch over. If a large enuf fraction of customers switch, the income base for the nuclear utility will erode to the point where then can no longer can afford some of the highly expensive routine maintenance costs (like replacing steam generators) and the utilities will be forced to close reactors early. This "economic activism" will be supplemented by strategic lawsuits and investors advisories all directed towards crippling certain strategic reactors. This will send a loud signal to the market that all nuclear utilities are at risk. Financial markets hate unnecessary risk, nuclear utility stock prices will drop, thus their economic flexibility will decrease, their capacity to subsidise inefficient reactor operation will erode and more plants will close before their design life.

The Czech Republic is on a collision course with nuclear power. CEZ has successfully prevented the distribution of electricity produced by third parties over its lines. They have maintained, so far, their virtual monopoly control of electricity production and sale in this country. Their communist era thinking managers have held on to the false promise of Temelin. But more important than Temelin is to the Klaus and probably following governments is entry into the EU. If this does not come at the cost of stopping Temelin directly (there are some in Austria who favor this as a condition for entry into the Union and Austria alone can block the Czech Republics entry), it will certainly come at the cost of CEZ loosing its monopoly power and having to compete with utilities which have made more sensible investments. The Czechs cant have it both ways, if they want to join the west, they have to play by the economic rules which call for Temelin construction to be halted now.