PICKERING, ONT. – It’s now official. The Ontario government has given the green light to Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) initiative to refurbish four CANDU nuclear reactors at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station.
As per a statement from the province, this $26.8 billion refurbishment will allow the facility to operate for up to 38 more years.
Once final licensing approvals are granted by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), OPG plans to kick off the project execution phase for refurbishing Pickering “B” units 5 to 8 in early 2027, with an anticipated completion date in the mid-2030s.
When all is said and done, Pickering will produce an increased capacity of up to 2,200 megawatts (MW) of electricity, enough to power approximately 2.2 million homes.
This project is expected to generate around 30,500 jobs during its refurbishment phase and sustain about 6,700 jobs throughout the station’s ongoing operation.
“OPG will deliver the project using the same disciplined planning, oversight, and partnership model that has kept the,” reads the statement. “OPG has also committed to investing $100 million with Indigenous-owned companies over the life of the refurbishment project, ensuring that First Nations hosting nuclear facilities share directly in the economic benefits.”
This announcement follows several years of developments concerning the Pickering plant.
In September 2022, OPG announced it would keep operating “B” units (units 5 to 8) at Pickering Nuclear Generating Station through September 2026 while awaiting CNSC approval; that approval was granted in October 2024. However, it was highlighted that continued operation of these units would necessitate a full refurbishment.
By December 2024, OPG completed preliminary steps for refurbishment at Pickering. This included early engineering and design work along with securing components requiring long lead times.
Then in January 2025, OPG received governmental approval to move forward with planning activities through 2026. During this phase, OPG focused on refining project scope and costs, finalizing engineering tasks, negotiating contracts, and securing spots for long-lead components as stated in their release.
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