Nothing could be further from the truth. In Ontario, the average cost of nuclear energy is about seven cents per kilowatt-hour of generation. Only hydroelectricity is cheaper, but marginally so. Laszlo further claims that Ontario Power Generation has applied to the Ontario Energy Board to raise the price of nuclear power to Some of the cost of refurbishing the Darlington plant will be deferred, moderating price spikes. By the latter date, the price of nuclear power would reach nine to 10 cents per kilowatt-hour.
OPG has not officially asked for rates beyond , and price projections beyond that date could change. What OPG charges for nuclear power would peak in with the completion of Darlington refurbishment. Northwestern Ontario. Northwestern Ontario hosts 11 of our hydroelectric stations as well as a former coal generating station that we converted to use biomass as fuel.
Southern Ontario. The golden horseshoe of Southern Ontario is home to key operations including our Darlington and Pickering nuclear stations, and our iconic Sir Adam Beck hydroelectric stations in Niagara Falls. Southwestern Ontario. Southwestern Ontario is host to our Western Waste Management Facility in Bruce County, as well as one hydroelectric station and our new solar facility on the site of the former Nanticoke coal station. Other OPG sites.
Careers Other Business Projects. OPG Careers Explore our latest job postings. Laurentis Energy Partners. Prepare to be Safe Learn more about nuclear emergency preparedness, and order your KI pills. Prepare to be Safe. In June OPG announced that work had begun to reassemble the reactor of unit 2, and in November fuel loading began.
In April the unit had reached criticality, and it returned to commercial operation in June The unit was shut down in October , before being isolated from the station, defuelled and the reactor components removed. The last of its calandria tubes was removed in May In March OPG said that it would delay the planned start of unit 3's refurbishment, originally scheduled for May , as part of its plans to ensure supply of electricity during the Covid crisis.
Work began in September Removal of the fuel bundles to storage was completed by the end of November In mid, the decision was made to refurbish New Brunswick Power's MWe Point Lepreau reactor, which provides one-quarter of the province's power. It was the first Candu 6 type in commercial operation and was the first Candu-6 reactor to undergo full refurbishment, including replacement of all calandria tubes as well as steam generators.
The project is expected to extend the life of the reactor to or beyond, and provide a 25 MWe uprate. In AECL decided to remove and reinstall all calandria tubes in the reactor core because of problems with the seals obtained for initial installation during the project. The CNSC authorized fuel loading in March , restart in July, and grid connection in October , but it continued to operate at low capacity for some time.
It was at full capacity late in The provincial government sought to recover the overrun cost from the federal government. Two new low-pressure turbine rotors that were damaged in transit in were replaced in Most Quebec electricity is hydro, from the north of the province. Gentilly, close to the load centre, had particular importance for grid stability and it also provided energy security regardless of seasonal rainfall.
There have been proposals to build several nuclear reactors to go into operation in the next decade, but these have been deferred, have lapsed or have been dropped in favour of major refurbishment of existing capacity.
Two reactors are proposed in Ontario, one was proposed in New Brunswick and one or possibly four smaller reactors were proposed in Alberta. In June , the Ontario government implemented a year energy plan, which envisaged maintaining existing nuclear generation capacity at 14, MWe.
Then the revision of the energy plan envisaged 12, MWe of nuclear capacity by out of a total installed capacity of around 41, MWe total capacity: 35, MWe. The plan called for an update in , which in the light of reduced power demand deferred the new construction at Darlington due to reduced demand forecasts.
The update also scaled back refurbishment plans for Bruce A and Darlington, and said that Pickering might be closed earlier than In August , Bruce Power applied for a licence to prepare its 9. Bruce Power submitted an environmental impact statement in September , showing that up to four new reactors at Bruce C would have no significant environmental effect.
The new units were envisaged as coming on line beginning in Six different reactor types were under consideration. However, in July , the company announced that it would withdraw its site licence application and suspend its environmental assessment for Bruce C, and focus on refurbishment of Bruce A and B a major task — see above. In September , Ontario Power Generation OPG applied for a licence to prepare its Darlington site for construction of up to four new nuclear power units.
An updated application and the environmental impact statement were submitted in September An independent review panel appointed by the Environment Department and CNSC in concluded in August that the construction of up to four new reactors was unlikely to cause adverse environmental effects, and in May the environmental assessment was approved. This was revoked by a federal court in May due to concerns about nuclear waste, hazardous emissions and accidents, but the CNSC appealed the decision on the grounds that these are matters for the construction and operating licences.
To keep the construction option open, OPG and the government aim to maintain the licence. In March , Ontario's Minister of Energy invited companies to submit proposals to build two new nuclear reactors at Darlington or Bruce, or both. In June , the Ontario government selected Darlington as the site for the two new nuclear reactors, to be operated by OPG and to come online in c.
However, in June , the provincial government announced that the procurement process was being stalled pending resolution of the future of AECL d. These were received in June , but further decisions were put on hold when the Ontario government deferred plans for construction in November In October , Bruce Power announced it would conduct an environmental assessment for two new nuclear units in the Haldimand-Norfolk region of southern Ontario.
In July , Bruce Power withdrew its site licence application and suspended its environmental assessment. In June the Energy Statute Law Amendment Act was passed, requiring a new long-term energy plan to be developed. It was published in 2 and confirmed that the two new units at Darlington were deferred indefinitely.
Having provided for support to developers for several years, OPG in October announced that it would work with three developers to advance engineering and design work: GE Hitachi, Terrestrial Energy and X-energy. Final technology selection is expected by , with the aim of having an operating SMR at Darlington by the late s.
In , the New Brunswick provincial government requested a feasibility study on building a second reactor at the Point Lepreau site. Team Candu was set up in to offer fixed price plants on a turnkey basis, and originally the MWe ACR was the intended technology, which would have been the first ACR plant in Canada.
While government-owned NB Power would be licensee and operator, the plant would most likely be privately owned and financed rather than publicly financed from government debt. About half of the output would be likely to go to the northeastern USA. However, the proposal has not proceeded. Proposals have also been made for a third reactor in New Brunswick, mainly for the purpose of exporting power to New England.
Much of the interest in building nuclear reactors in Alberta centers on the extraction of oil from the province's extensive oil sands tar sands deposits. The current extraction process relies on energy from natural gas, which is costly and poses the additional problem of carbon emissions. Nuclear power is considered an economically attractive, low-emissions alternative for producing the steam and electricity the oil extraction process requires.
Small modular reactors SMRs now being promoted in Canada introduce the possibility of moving the nuclear heat source every year or two. In , Energy Alberta was established to build a nuclear power plant in northern Alberta. In August , Energy Alberta filed an application for a site preparation licence for one or two twin-unit ACR plants at a site in Peace River 3. Soon after, the company agreed to be acquired by Bruce Power, which in March filed a new application for a licence to prepare for up to MWe at the same site, Lac Cardinal.
Most of the power would be supplied to the grid, but off-peak it could be used for hydrogen production for oil refining. In late , Bruce Power identified a second site, Whitemud, and decided to withdraw the licence to prepare site application for Lac Cardinal while the company determined which of the two sites was the most viable 5.
Both sites are located about 30 km from the town of Peace River, km northwest of Edmonton. In March , Bruce Power announced that the Whitemud site had been selected and that an environmental assessment was expected to be launched in 6.
The project, known as the Peace Region Nuclear Power Plant Project, would involve the construction of up to four reactors to provide between and MWe of capacity. Alberta's nuclear consultation process in confirmed that nuclear technology could play a role in the province's future energy mix — the Government said nuclear power will be given the same consideration as all other energy options.
In response, in late , Bruce Power stated: "Any decision to proceed further will require us to take another look at the commercial case given the changing market conditions we have seen over the last 18 months.
In the largest oil sands producers formed an alliance to consider ways to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by , primarily by carbon capture and storage but with SMRs being part of the means.
The study identified a region spanning from Lloydminster, including the Battlefords and Prince Albert — generally referred to as the 'Prince Albert economic sub-region' — as the most viable host for a nuclear facility. The study also noted that growth in electricity demand in northeastern Alberta could provide a possible export market for Saskatchewan.
The company has previously investigated the prospect of nuclear power and in suggested that a MWe reactor size would be feasible if Alberta is included, or larger if it also included Manitoba. The figures speak for themselves. In , Ontario had 53 smog days. Now fast forward to last year, Ontario reported zero smog advisories. This significant improvement in our air quality should be a point of pride for Ontarians.
It has improved our quality of life. And it has reduced a serious strain on our healthcare system. Both air pollution hospitalisations and air pollution deaths are way down.
Ending coal generation has not only been a big environmental success, but an enormous public health success. But the benefits of nuclear energy have a significant economic impact as well. These highly skilled, good-paying jobs, in turn, help grow the economy at both the local and regional level over the long term. The refurbishment of the Bruce and Darlington Nuclear Generation Stations provide good examples of this.
This also provides a huge boost to the local economy with suppliers establishing a local presence and building up the community in the Bruce-Grey-Huron region. Darlington's refurbishment - once complete - and in operation over the next 30 years will boost Ontario's GDP by approximately CAD90 billion dollars.
Added to this, Darlington's refurbishment will generate an average of 14, jobs annually.
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