Ontario approves Pickering refurb - Nuclear Engineering International

The Pickering Nuclear Producing Station in Ontario (Picture credit score: OPG)

Ontario Energy Technology (OPG) is to start executing the refurbishment of items 5-8 on the Pickering Nuclear Producing Station’s following approval from the Province of Ontario. As one of many world’s largest nuclear stations, Pickering has been working for greater than 50 years and at present meets about 11% of Ontario’s electrical energy wants. Pickering items 1 and 4 – the final of the 4 items making up Pickering A – ceased business operations in 2024.

Pickering station is positioned within the metropolis of Pickering (Municipality of Durham) on the north shore of Lake Ontario. The Ontario authorities is supporting a plan by OPG to proceed with refurbishing Pickering station’s “B” items (items 5-8). Two of the 4 Pickering “A” items (2&3) have been closed in 1997. Models 1&4 have been refurbished however have been closed in 2024. Pickering A started operation within the Seventies and Pickering B within the Eighties. All eight items are 600 MWe pressurised heavy water Candu reactors.

Pickering items 5-8 had been scheduled to finish electrical energy manufacturing in 2025, however in 2022 the provincial authorities directed OPG to maintain them working till 2026 and to reassess the feasibility of refurbishment. In January 2024, the Ontario authorities permitted begin of the initiation part of the refurbishment challenge and a yr later OPG was given permission to begin the challenge definition part. Approval to start work has now been given. With the inexperienced mild from the federal government, OPG mentioned it can proceed to advance the definition part, which can final by way of a lot of 2026. OPG will start the Venture Execution Part to refurbish Pickering 5-8 in early 2027, with completion anticipated by the mid-2030s.

Pickering at present has a licence to function till the top of 2028. OPG has utilized to the Canadian Nuclear Security Fee for a 10-year licence that features refurbishment actions. The brand new licence could be in impact all through the refurbishment interval and into operations on the newly refurbished station.

Pickering’s refurbishment will present some 38 extra years of energy and keep 1000’s of expert jobs throughout Ontario and Canada. The refurbishment is anticipated to price CAD26.8bn ($19.1bn) Nevertheless, a examine by the Convention Board of Canada, mentioned it can improve Ontario’s GDP by CAD38.2bn in 2024 {dollars} over the challenge’s lifespan. This can embody CAD17bn through the refurbishment part, and improve Canada’s nationwide GDP by CAD41.6bn.

Refurbishing and persevering with operations at Pickering may also maintain some 7,500 jobs a yr throughout Canada over its lifespan together with 30,500 jobs a yr over the refurbishment interval. As well as, about 85-90% of spending is anticipated to remain inside Ontario, strengthening the native financial system. OPG has already agreed vital contracts for the Pickering Refurbishment with Ontario-based suppliers, together with a CAD2.1bn contract with CanAtom for early engineering and procurement to organize for the execution of the challenge’s Retube Feeder and Boiler Substitute Programme.

The Pickering refurbishment follows comparable work at OPG’s Darlington nuclear station and can profit from that have. The Darlington Refurbishment Venture started in 2016 and is now nearing completion earlier in 2026 than its authentic schedule and on finances. The Darlington station includes 4 Candu reactors with a complete output of three,512 MWe. Models 1-3 are at present working and refurbished whereas unit 4 remains to be present process refurbishment. With greater than 7,000 classes realized on the Darlington Refurbishment challenge, OPG, its vendor companions, and Ontario’s nuclear provide chain are prepared to use these classes and improvements to make sure Pickering’s life-extension is an equal success.

Like Darlington, refurbishing Pickering will contain eradicating and changing main parts of every reactor and its related tools, together with changing 380 gas channels in every reactor. Nevertheless, Pickering’s refurbishment is a extra advanced and bigger challenge than Darlington together with substitute of all 48 steam mills throughout the 4 items – parts that have been inspected fairly than changed at Darlington.

Pickering’s refurbishment may also see the development of a brand new, 1,500-metre-long deep-water consumption construction that may enable entry to deeper and colder water for the station’s cooling wants. This high-value merchandise was already in place at Darlington from the unique development.

“This is a truly remarkable moment for Pickering Nuclear, our employees, and the community,” OPG President and CEO Nicolle Butcher mentioned. “We are ready to leverage all of our ongoing lessons and experience from our Darlington Refurbishment and the construction of the G7’s first Small Modular Reactor to deliver another successful nuclear refurbishment for Ontario. Through this project, we will ensure this important station continues to play a key role in our future – by generating critical energy and economic benefits, sustaining high-quality jobs, and ensuring Ontario and Canada’s energy security.”