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| Ontario Minister of Energy Todd Smith announces pre-development work for possible Bruce Power expansion at the Douglas Point site Wednesday, July 5. |
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The Ontario government is starting pre-development work to site the first large-scale nuclear build in over three decades to prepare for rising electricity demand, power electrification and fuel the province’s strong economic growth.
Bruce Power will start community consultations and conduct the environmental assessment for federal approval to determine the feasibility of siting up to 4,800 megawatts (MW) of new nuclear generation on its current site.
“Our government’s open for business approach has led to unprecedented investments across the province, from electric vehicles and battery manufacturing to critical minerals to green steel,” said Todd Smith, Minister of Energy. “With our plan already in place to meet demand this decade, we are starting the pre-development work to identify future generation options, including reliable, affordable and clean nuclear energy, that will power our province into the future.”
For the first time since 2005, Ontario’s electricity demand is rising. While the government has implemented its plan to meet rising demand this decade, experts at Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) have recommended the province begin planning, siting and environmental assessment work for long-lead assets, including nuclear power, to meet increasing electricity demand in the 2030s and beyond driven by strong economic growth, electrification and population growth.
Federal approval is the first step in a comprehensive process for approving and building new nuclear power generation projects, which could take a decade or longer. Recognizing new nuclear generation will be critical to making the province’s electricity grid even cleaner, Ontario will continue to work with the federal government to identify and highlight opportunities to reduce inefficiencies and minimize duplication when it comes to federal major project reviews to reduce emissions by getting clean energy projects built quicker.
Initiating this early planning will ensure the province has a reliable, low-cost and clean option available to power the next major international investment, the new homes being built in the province, and industries and sectors across the province as they grow and electrify.
A new nuclear station would also create thousands of new jobs and generate billions of dollars in economic activity across the province for decades to come, while helping to reduce emissions and further Ontario’s clean electricity advantage, which will better position Ontario to compete for international investments, which are increasingly prioritizing access to a clean energy supply.
“Nuclear power has been the stable backbone of Ontario’s clean electricity system for decades and Bruce Power is ready to play an integral role in addressing the province’s future needs, while supporting good jobs and economic prosperity for the future,” said Mike Rencheck, President and CEO of Bruce Power. “We are starting the federal Impact Assessment process to look at new nuclear generation on our site now, to maximize the future optionality for clean electricity in the province.”
This pre-development work will help evaluate the suitability of the site by examining the impacts of a new facility on the environment, the public and Indigenous communities. It will take several years to complete, involving significant public input and consultations with Indigenous communities, and is a pre-requisite for the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission’s multi-stage licensing process for new large-scale nuclear stations.
Ontario and Bruce Power are also committed to continuing cooperation and engagement with both Saugeen First Nation and Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation communities (collectively the Saugeen Ojibway Nation) when it comes to energy planning and future projects on their traditional territory.
This pre-development work is part of Ontario’s plan to prepare for electricity demand in the 2030s and 2040s that will build on Ontario’s clean electricity advantage and ensure the province has the power to maintain its position as a leader in job creation and a magnet for the industries of the future.
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| Pat Dalzell, Bruce Power Head of Corporate Affairs, left, Rick Byers, MPP Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, Stéphane Sarrazin, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Energy, Lisa Thompson, MPP Huron-Bruce, Kenneth Craig, Mayor of Kincardine, and Mike Rencheck, Bruce Power CEO and President, right, during yesterday's press conference at the Bruce Power site. |
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From the Ministry of Energy's media release backgrounder:
Ontario is starting pre-development work with Bruce Power to site the first large-scale nuclear build in a generation to help meet rising electricity demand with reliable, emissions-free power that will support electrification and power Ontario’s economic growth.
Impact Assessment
New large-scale nuclear projects in Canada are currently subject to a federal Impact Assessment (IA).
The federal Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) would be responsible for leading the IA for a future new large-scale nuclear station at the existing Bruce site, with support from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) and input from Bruce Power. IAAC would undertake consultations with Indigenous communities and engagement with the public throughout the IA process.
Overall, a large-scale new nuclear reactor project is expected to require a lead-time of a decade or more from Impact Assessment commencement to deployment, depending on the time it takes to complete regulatory assessments and approvals as well as to undertake planning and preparation, procurements, construction, and commissioning of the reactor(s).
The Impact Assessment Act complicates this timeline with opportunities for the IAAC or Federal Ministers to pause the process without firm timelines to provide a final decision.
Ontario looks forward to continuing to work with the federal government as it develops a concrete plan to clarify and reduce timelines, minimize inefficiencies, and enhance engagement and partnerships on major project reviews. This is especially important for sites like Bruce Power’s, which are among the most studied sites in Canada and have safely hosted nuclear generating units for more than 30 years.
CNSC Licensing Framework for Nuclear Generation Projects
The IA is the first step in a multi-year process for approving new large-scale nuclear power generation projects. Once the IA is approved, the CNSC requires a separate licence for each of the five phases in the life cycle of a nuclear power plant:
- Licence To Prepare Site: Demonstrates suitability of the proposed site for construction and operation of the nuclear facility, allowing site preparation activities to begin.
- Licence To Construct: Demonstrates that proposed facility design, manufacturing and construction conforms to regulatory requirements and will provide for safe operation over the proposed plant life, allowing construction phase of the project to begin.
- Licence to Operate: Demonstrates that appropriate safety management systems, plans and programs have been established and the facility will operate safely, and all nuclear waste will be managed safely. Operating licences are subject to regular renewals (for example, every 10 years) based on a periodic safety review and compliance.
- Licence to Decommission: Demonstrates the ability to safely decommission the facility following the end of commercial operations, remediate the site and safely dispose of and manage all long-lived radioactive waste from the facility.
- Licence to Abandon: Demonstrates that the site has been fully remediated (e.g., using the results of environmental monitoring programs) and can be released from CNSC regulatory control.
CNSC employs a rigorous and transparent process, including public hearings, for decision-making on licensing of nuclear power projects, including public input and Indigenous consultations. CNSC also continuously monitors and inspects nuclear projects throughout the life cycle to ensure that they are complying with all CNSC licences and regulations.
Licensees must provide financial guarantees to cover activities authorized by the licences, including a guarantee that sufficient funds are available for the long-term management and disposal of all nuclear waste generated over the full life cycle of the plant.
Indigenous Consultation by Ontario
The Bruce Nuclear site is located within the traditional territories of Indigenous communities. Planning for new nuclear generation at Bruce will involve engagement with these communities to ensure Indigenous perspectives are understood and considered at this early stage.
The Ontario government understands the importance of consultation and participation of Indigenous communities in the successful development of new proposed nuclear facilities. In addition to the Indigenous consultations led by the federal government as part of its Impact Assessment process and CNSC licensing framework, as the project moves forward, it will be subject to consultation by Ontario regarding relevant policy decisions, provincial approvals and permitting requirements.
Federal Funding for New Nuclear Projects
The Ontario government will seek to minimize costs of nuclear generation projects for ratepayers, including working with utilities and the federal government to access all available financial incentives and funding opportunities such as the investment tax credits (ITCs) related to clean energy projects recently announced by the federal government. The Clean Electricity ITC would provide a 15 per cent refundable tax credit for eligible investments in nuclear generations projects, such as small modular reactors and large-scale nuclear.
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Quick Facts:
- IESO’s Pathways to Decarbonization Report forecasts that in less than 30 years, Ontario could need to more than double its electricity generation capacity from 42,000 MW today to 88,000 MW in 2050. The report forecasts an additional 17,800 MW of nuclear power could be required to meet that increased demand.
- To meet growing electricity demand this decade, Ontario is conducting Canada’s largest clean energy storage procurement, has invested more than $1 billion in energy efficiency programs, is supporting the continued safe operation of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station and is building Canada’s first grid-scale Small Modular Reactor.
- Ontario’s Bruce Nuclear Generating Station is the largest operating nuclear generating station in the world, with the capacity to produce 6,550 MW of electricity.
- Nuclear power currently provides about 50 per cent of Ontario’s electricity supply and has positioned Ontario as one of the cleanest electricity grids in the world.
- The Ministry of Energy is working with the IESO and Bruce Power on a contractual approach to address the costs associated with this pre-development work that minimizes impact on ratepayers. The province will also review opportunities to reduce costs on ratepayers through the application of funds collected from the sale of clean energy credits through the Future Clean Electricity Fund.
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Quotes:
"Bruce Power is a leader in producing clean, reliable energy for people in Huron-Bruce County and across the province. The benefits of and belief in nuclear energy are truly generational in mid-western Ontario. These consultations are an integral step in facilitating further growth of our clean energy sector, creating good jobs close to home and ensuring Ontarians have an energy supply they can depend on."
– Lisa Thompson, MPP for Huron-Bruce
"This is a very exciting development for the future of electricity generation in Ontario and for our Bruce Grey community. Bruce Power has such a positive impact throughout our region, we look forward to following the progress of this pre-development work."
– Rick Byers, MPP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound
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source: media release, Province of Ontario, Ministry of Energy, Minister's Office, Communication Branch
photographs by Hub staff
