Bruce Power applauds OPG's plan to refurbish Darlington nuclear plant

Bruce Power applauds Monday’s announcement by Ontario Power Generation (OPG) that it will move forward with the refurbishment program at the Darlington nuclear station, and will continue to optimize the role that the Pickering nuclear station plays in Ontario’s electricity system.

 

“Nuclear power plays a critical role in our electricity system and both Bruce Power and OPG are committed to securing this position, long-term, as we embark on the refurbishment of the Bruce and Darlington facilities,” said Duncan Hawthorne, Bruce Power’s president and chief executive officer. “We are both committed to providing an affordable, reliable, clean source of electricity, and we will continue to collaborate and innovate together to be successful as an industry.”

 

This announcement is good news for the nuclear industry which supports tens of thousands of jobs directly and indirectly across Ontario while contributing to keeping the air clean, as an energy source that generates zero carbon emissions and supports the province’s climate change targets.

 

Bruce Power, which announced in December that it plans to refurbish six reactors on its site, is already working closely with OPG to share information and lessons learned from previous refurbishments, while exploring ways to collaborate to leverage the economies of scale between the two operators.

 

“Operating nuclear plants is a unique type of business in the sense that we are not driven by competition between operators, but by our collective success as we share so much in common,” said Hawthorne. “It’s all about generating safely and reliably and, through collaboration and working together to leverage economies of scale, we can deliver the best results for Ontario ratepayers.”

 

Monday’s announcement is another win for the people of Ontario, who will continue to benefit from reliable and carbon-free nuclear energy, which provides 60 per cent of the province’s power at 30 per cent below the average residential price of electricity in 2015.