Ontario Doubles Down on Nuclear Power
Ontario has always been a clean-energy giant, deriving half of its electricity from nuclear power and 25 percent from hydroelectricity.
Now, the central Canadian province is preparing to expand its nuclear energy capacity to meet rising electricity demand.
Under a strategy released June 12 called ‘Energy for Generations’, “nuclear power will continue to serve as the backbone of the province’s electricity system providing the 24/7 baseload power the province’s economy requires.”
Electricity demand is expected to rise by 75 percent by 2050. The framework aligns with previously announced nuclear spending, including CAD$20.9 billion for small modular reactors (SMRs), and could total 10,000 megawatts of additional nuclear capacity costing more than $150 billion.
According to World Nuclear News, Energy for Generations builds on a 2024 vision paper setting out a comprehensive assessment of the challenges facing the province’s energy system, including the need to meet rapidly growing demand, electrify key sectors, and maintain reliability, all while keeping energy rates down.
“With this blueprint, Ontario has the opportunity to lead the world in both small and large nuclear development,” the publication quotes Ontario Power Generation’s president and CEO Nicolle Butcher. “Coupled with our expanding hydroelectric portfolio and other low-carbon technologies, the growth of a reliable provincial grid will also boost economies and strengthen our energy security.”
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To accomplish its goal, the province plans to refurbish existing nuclear power plants. Bruce units 1 and 2 have already been refurbished and were returned to service more than a decade ago. A second refurbishment of those units “remains an available option that can be explored under the existing contract between Bruce Power and the IESO,” Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator, the plan said.
Ontario is also looking at new large-scale nuclear generation. World Nuclear News states: Pre-development work has already begun to site the first large-scale nuclear build in Ontario since 1993 at the existing Bruce nuclear site; OPG is advancing early-stage planning for new large-scale nuclear generation at Wesleyville, Port Hope.
The Ontario government has green-lit Ontario Power Generation to build the first of four Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) at the Darlington New Nuclear Project site.
OPG says it will be the first commercial grid-scale SMR in North America, with an in-service target date of 2030, and the first new nuclear build in Ontario in more than three decades.
Ontario government support for the CAD$20.9 billion project came after OPG received a Licence to Construct in April from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. The first SMR would cost $7.7 billion. All four SMRS are to be located next to the Darlington nuclear power plant east of Toronto and are expected to be running by 2035.
SMRs are constructed with prefabricated modules and can be transported by truck or by rail — making them ideal for remote locations where a conventional reactor would not be feasible. Another important advantage is they are less likely to overheat, because their small cores produce less heat than those of large reactors. They also have fewer moving parts, including coolant pumps, which reduces the likelihood of failures that could cause an accident. The fuel, steam and generator are all in one vessel.
Their small size and lower cost compared to large nuclear reactors makes Small Modular Reactors more versatile, meaning significantly more utilities will be able to use them.
Meanwhile, Ontario wants to expand power transmission to supply major mining developments including critical minerals projects in the remote Ring of Fire region. Industrial demand for electricity is forecast to rise 50 percent in the next five years.
With provincial trade barriers poised to fall — a goal of the new federal government elected in April — The Northern Miner reports Ontario could source uranium from Saskatchewan’s Athabasca Basin, a global hotspot for uranium production.
Ontario’s plan also proposes building new east-west transmission corridors to support energy security and critical minerals development.
Analysts suggest the nuclear expansion could sustain long-term uranium demand, despite challenges, including Ontario’s lack of uranium enrichment facilities, reliance on foreign suppliers, and the risk of cost overruns and delays that have affected other SMR projects.
By Andrew Topf for Oilprice.com
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