Apr 10, 2026 • Last updated Apr 10, 2026 •
Nicolle Butcher, president and CEO of Ontario Power Generation speaks on Thursday April 9, 2026 during the Norfolk Innovation Frontier Forum in Delhi, Ontario and organized by the Simcoe and District Chamber of Commerce. Photo by Brian Thompson /The Expositor
Nicolle Butcher remembers growing up in Simcoe and seeing many new kids in her Grade 2 class due to the economic growth that followed the construction of the coal-fired Nanticoke generating station.
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Butcher, now serving as the president and CEO of Ontario Power Generation, participated in a fireside chat format before an audience of over 200 at the Norfolk Innovation Frontier Forum in Delhi on Thursday, hosted by the Simcoe and District Chamber of Commerce.
<p“That's how I view Nanticoke from my childhood,” she stated, mentioning that throughout her 25-year tenure with OPG she worked at the Nanticoke plant, including during its shutdown in 2014.
<p“(The closure) remains the largest climate change initiative in North America,” Butcher emphasized. “I understand it was challenging for the community. Electricity demand had been decreasing. We introduced solar, wind and gas to replace coal; however, we didn’t see a rise in demand.”
She pointed out that looking ahead now predicts a 65 percent increase in electricity demand by 2050. This leads OPG to explore expanding its nuclear, hydroelectricity, gas facilities, battery capabilities, and other renewable sources to tackle this challenge.
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Renee Van Kooten, president of the chamber’s board of directors and moderator of the fireside chat, asked Butcher about managing tariff uncertainties alongside trade disruptions while electricity demand keeps growing.
<p“It is a chaotic time,” Butcher remarked. “I became CEO last January with a solid transition plan. In my first three weeks, Trudeau resigned, Ford announced an election campaign and Trump initiated tariff wars. I went to provincial leaders saying ‘we have our major economic driver ready – our Small Modular Reactor (SMR) project.’”
The head of OPG mentioned that while solar energy, wind power, batteries and gas can be developed within three to four years’ timeframe; nuclear power and hydro – which provide base load energy – take decades to bring online.</s
Construction on the SMR project started last April. Once completed , OPG will consider Nanticoke as one among three strategic sites.</s
“We’ve begun discussions with Haldimand County , Six Nations , and Mississaugas of Credit First Nation to get their views,” Butcher said. “We’re examining all technologies currently available , but nuclear is under consideration. How do you make best use of this land? What’s going to be its economic development impact?”</s
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She continued stating there would be thousands employed for operations , tens of thousands working during construction , leading to substantial economic impacts within communities due to all requirements needed for operating such complex plants.</s
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Butcher mentioned that extensive discussions along with studies are necessary before any real construction occurs at site until early2030s ; it won’t become operational until2040.
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