Ontario has introduced plans to refurbish a part of the Pickering Nuclear Producing Station, one of many world’s largest nuclear stations.
At a press convention on Thursday, Stephen Lecce, Minister of Vitality and Electrification, stated the federal government has permitted Ontario Energy Era’s (OPG) plan to proceed with a $2.1 billion contract with CanAtom to help early work, which is anticipated to create 2,400 jobs.
“The Pickering Nuclear Generating Station has powered cities and towns across Ontario with affordable, reliable and zero-emissions electricity for more than 50 years, supporting thousands of jobs in the process,” stated Stephen Lecce, Minister of Vitality and Electrification in a press release. “This refurbishment would protect those good paying jobs and provide the affordable and reliable power our province will need for decades to come.”
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The venture guarantees to ship 30 extra years of reasonably priced, emissions-free electrical energy, Lecce added. The proposed refurbishment nonetheless requires approval from the Canadian Nuclear Security Fee.
The announcement comes per week after the province stated it desires to construct a brand new large-scale nuclear energy plant close to Port Hope. That venture would generate as much as 10,000 megawatts of electrical energy, 5 instances the output of the Pickering venture.
Nuclear stays a contentious battleground for the environmental motion with critics deriding its price, development time-scale and waste drawback.
“Stephen Lecce’s high-cost plan to re-build the Pickering Nuclear Station will cause our electricity rates to rise and will lead to a 500 per cent increase in dirty gas power as we wait for Pickering’s 40-year old reactors to be re-built,” stated Jack Gibbons, chair of the Ontario Clear Air Alliance. “Minister Lecce’s plan is good for big energy utilities like Ontario Power Generation and Enbridge Gas, but it will take more money out of the pockets of Ontario’s hard-working families.”
Ontario has cleaner, safer, and extra reasonably priced choices to fulfill its vitality wants, Gibbons argued. By prioritizing investments in vitality effectivity, wind and solar energy, and vitality storage, the province may shut the Pickering Nuclear Station in 2026 whereas additionally lowering electrical energy prices, he stated.
A brand new report from the Ontario Clear Air Alliance predicts electrical energy generated by a brand new nuclear reactor could be considerably dearer than renewable sources, costing 3.6 instances greater than onshore wind, 3 times greater than photo voltaic, and 1.7 instances greater than offshore wind. The report additionally highlights Ontario’s ample renewable vitality potential, noting that Nice Lakes wind energy alone may present greater than sufficient electrical energy to fulfill the province’s vitality wants.
The venture guarantees to ship 30 extra years of reasonably priced, emissions-free electrical energy, stated Stephen Lecce, Minister of Vitality and Electrification. #Nuclear vitality.
Lecce says nuclear enlargement is required to deal with Ontario’s quickly rising vitality wants, pushed by financial progress and electrification, with the province projected to face a 75 per cent surge in electrical energy demand by 2050.
Lecce stated the complete refurbishment venture is projected to contribute $19.4 billion to Ontario’s economic system over the plant’s 30-year lifespan and create 11,000 jobs yearly over the course of the venture’s 11 years, with completion anticipated by the mid-2030s.
The Pickering station generates roughly 14 per cent of electrical energy in Ontario, the place greater than half the overall electrical energy is nuclear-generated.
The province says that the Ontario Energy Era’s (OPG) has dedicated to investing an extra $100 million with Indigenous firms over the course of the refurbishment venture.
Lecce stated 90 per cent refurbishment funding will likely be sourced from Ontario-made components and supplies, guaranteeing nearly all of the spending stays inside the province to help native industries, communities, create jobs and stimulate financial progress.
The contract introduced Thursday entails early engineering, procurement of long-lead parts, and development planning for the retube, feeder, and boiler substitute of models 5-8.
Past powering properties and companies, the Pickering refurbishment will even help the manufacturing of Cobalt-60 isotopes, very important for sterilizing medical tools and aiding in most cancers therapies, stated Melody Greaves Govt Director & VP, Authorities Relations, Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council (CNIC).
“Today’s announcement from the Ontario Government and Ontario Power Generation to continue with the Pickering B refurbishment marks a major milestone in solidifying the province’s position at the forefront of isotope production and strengthening our domestic supply of life-saving medical isotopes,” Greaves stated.
