Ontario minister confirms Pickering refurbishment plans

31 January 2024

The provincial government is supporting Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to go ahead with the refurbishment of units 5-8 at the Pickering nuclear power plant. OPG will now begin the initiation phase of the project.

Todd Smith announces the refurbishment plans at Pickering (Image: X/Todd Smith)

Announcing the government's support for the plan, Ontario Minister of Energy Todd Smith said refurbishing the four Candu units would enable the plant to produce "at least" another 30 years of safe, reliable and clean electricity while creating thousands of new jobs. "With global business looking to expand in jurisdictions with reliable, affordable and clean electricity, a refurbished Pickering Nuclear Generating Station would help Ontario compete for and land more game-changing investments," he said.

The government is supporting OPG's CAD2 billion (USD1.5 billion) budget for the initiation phase of the project, which will include engineering and design work as well as securing long-lead components to ensure materials are available when needed and to help keep costs down. OPG and its business partners will also identify potential Indigenous engagement opportunities in contracting, employment and other economic benefits related to the project, the government said.

OPG's current licence for the Pickering nuclear generating station expires in August 2028 but does not allow commercial operations for any of the units beyond 31 December 2024. The provincial government has previously supported OPG to extend the operating period beyond that date: the company earlier this year applied to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to extend operation of units 5-8 until the end of 2026.

OPG is more than half-way through a CAD12.8 billion project to refurbish the four units at its Darlington plant, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026. The "thousands" of lessons learned from that, and from Bruce Power's ongoing major project to refurbish six Candu units at its plant, are a "major advantage" to help ensure the project's success, OPG President and CEO Ken Hartwick said.

"Our experience refurbishing Darlington, a highly complex project that remains on time and on budget, will be invaluable as we begin the work necessary so Pickering can continue to help meet the growing electricity demands of this thriving province for another three-plus decades," he said.

OPG's preliminary schedule anticipates completing the refurbishment of the Pickering units by the mid-2030s. Preliminary analysis by the Conference Board of Canada says the project is expected to increase the province's GDP by CAD19.4 billion during the 11-year refurbishment project, create about 11,000 jobs per year during that time, and create and sustain more than 6000 jobs per year during operation after refurbishment.

"We are thrilled that Pickering, a workhorse of the Canadian energy system, will be refurbished and given the opportunity to provide us with another 30 years of affordable, sustainable, clean energy," John Gorman, president and CEO of the Canadian Nuclear Association, said. "This project ensures that we are maintaining and growing the skills and expertise that we have invested in over the past decade with the refurbishment and major component replacement projects at Darlington and Bruce."

The government said it will follow a multi-phase approvals process to ensure the Pickering refurbishment "only proceeds if it is in the best interests of Ontario and its ratepayers". The refurbishment will also require regulatory approval.

The Ontario government is also supporting pre-development work for potential new large-scale nuclear development at Bruce Power and three additional small modular reactors at Darlington as part of its plan to taking to meet electricity demand and reduce emissions by supporting the electrification of the province's economy as set out in Powering Ontario's Growth which it published last year.

Historic performance

Pickering is home to six currently operating Candu units supplying around 14% of Ontario's electricity. The plant produced 21.5 TWh of electricity in 2023 - its second-highest output as a six-unit station. The plant also produces around 20% of the world's supply of the medical radioisotope cobalt-60, used to irradiate and sterilise single-use medical devices.

The four units that are to be refurbished, sometimes referred to as Pickering B, began operations in the mid-1980s. The other currently operating reactors - units 1 and 4 - are part of the four-unit Pickering A plant which began operations in the early 1970s and was laid up in 1997. Units 1 and 4 underwent refurbishment before returning to service in the 2003 (unit 4) and 2005 (unit 1), but remain scheduled for closure by the end of 2024. Units 2 and 3 did not return to service after being laid up.

SaskPower-GEH agreement to advance SMR development

31 January 2024

Canadian Utility SaskPower and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) have signed an agreement to advance small modular reactor (SMR) development in Saskatchewan. In June 2022, SaskPower selected GEH's BWRX-300 as the technology to be used in its SMR development work.

(Image: GEH)

The new agreement will enable SaskPower and GEH to collaborate on project planning and facilitate the sharing of expertise related to the design, fuel sourcing and fabrication for the BWRX-300 SMR. It will also support workforce and supply chain planning needed for a Saskatchewan-based SMR deployment.

SaskPower said the agreement will streamline its planning and licensing work to inform its decision in 2029 whether to proceed with nuclear power in Saskatchewan.

"Gaining detailed technical specifications, requirements and designs to the BWRX-300 is necessary for our planning work and license applications," said SaskPower President and CEO Rupen Pandya. "Leveraging experience and expertise from our colleagues in the nuclear industry is an important part of our planning work."

"This agreement is another important step in our efforts to support Saskatchewan's workers, businesses and clean energy goals," said GEH Canada Country Leader Lisa McBride. "The BWRX-300 reimagines what is possible when it comes to generating reliable, carbon-free energy."

SaskPower selected GEH's (GEH) BWRX-300 in June 2022 for potential deployment in the province in the mid-2030s after an assessment process in which it looked at several SMR technologies.

The BWRX-300 is a 300 MWe water-cooled, natural circulation SMR with passive safety systems that leverages the design and licensing basis of GEH's US Nuclear Regulatory Commission-certified ESBWR boiling water reactor design and its existing, licensed GNF2 fuel design, a unique combination that GEH says positions it to deliver an "innovative, carbon-free baseload power generation source" this decade.

Ontario Power Generation has already selected the BWRX-300 for its Darlington New Nuclear Project in Ontario, where Canada's first commercial, grid-scale, SMR could be completed as early as 2028.

SaskPower will not make a decision on whether to build an SMR until 2029, but in the meantime will continue with project development, licensing and regulatory work. In September 2022, the company said it had identified two areas in the province of Saskatchewan - Estevan and Elbow - for further study to determine the feasibility of hosting an SMR.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News