Ontario’s energy minister has revealed that refurbishing four reactors at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station will cost $26.8 billion, allowing them to operate for nearly four more decades.
The province and Ontario Power Generation have been planning this long-term refurbishment for years, and today Minister Stephen Lecce confirmed that the government has greenlit OPG’s proposal.
While the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission still needs to give its approval, OPG aims to kick off the refurbishment in early 2027.
The CNSC had previously approved a short extension for units 5 to 8 at the Pickering nuclear plant until the end of 2026.
Lecce mentioned that this project is expected to create over 30,000 jobs during the refurbishment phase and maintain around 6,700 jobs once it’s operational, helping boost GDP while addressing Ontario’s increasing electricity demands.
Environmental Defence warns that taking Pickering’s reactors offline for much of the next decade will lead to a greater reliance on natural gas for electricity generation, which could raise greenhouse gas emissions.
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