PICKERING, ONT. – It’s now official. The Ontario government has given the green light to Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) proposal to upgrade four CANDU nuclear reactors at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station.
As stated in a release from the province, the $26.8 billion refurbishment aims to keep the facility operational for up to 38 more years.
With final licensing approvals still pending from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), OPG plans to kick off the project execution phase to refurbish Pickering “B” units 5 to 8 in early 2027, expecting completion by the mid-2030s.
When finished, Pickering will be able to generate an increased capacity of up to 2,200 megawatts (MW) of electricity, enough to power around 2.2 million homes.
The refurbishment is projected to create about 30,500 jobs during the construction phase and maintain 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 release. “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 years of developments regarding the Pickering plant.
In September 2022, OPG announced it would continue operating units 5 through 8 at Pickering Nuclear Generating Station until September 2026, pending CNSC approval which was granted in October 2024; however, further operation of these units would need a full refurbishment.
By December 2024, OPG completed early phases of work on Pickering’s refurbishment that included preliminary engineering and design efforts as well as securing long-lead components.
Then in January 2025, OPG received government approval to move forward with this next phase which will carry on through 2026. During this time, OPG worked on refining project scope and costs while completing necessary engineering tasks and negotiating commercial contracts for long-lead components as noted in their release.
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