Skip to content

Pickering Refurbishment

Pickering Nuclear Generating Station#

Pickering

Pickering_Nuclear

Location#

Shores of Lake Ontario in Durham Region, just east of the Rouge River.

Pickering_Map

Generation at Pickering NGS#

Pickering NSG is fully owned by Ontario Power Generation and is one of the oldest nuclear power stations in the world. Originally commissioned in 1960s, the focus destination for Pickering NSG electricity is Toronto.

Reactor design is CANDU for all units in operation. CANDU is the short form name for "Canada Deuterium Uranium". CANDU is currently licensed by SNC-Lavalin (now AtkinsRéalis). CANDU's team is focused on support for current CANDU reactors.

At Pickering Nuclear Generation Station:

  • Units in operation: 6
  • Units decommissioned: 2 (units 2 and 3)
  • Units previously refurbished: 2 (units 1 and 4 in early 2000s)
  • Current installed capacity: 3,100MW (equivalent: 1.5M homes)
  • Jobs supported: 4,500
  • % of Ontario's power: 14%

  • Medical isotope produced: Cobalt-60 (used in sterilization of medical supplies and food)

  • Pickering's four "B" units: commissioned in 1980s.

  • Units produce 500MW each
  • Pickering A units: two decommissioned, two refurbished (in the 2007/2008)

2024 Refurbishment Announcement#

  • The Ontario Government's financial and political support for OPG's "Project Initiation Phase" was announced: January 30, 2024

  • Timeline:

    • The OPG announced a feasibility report on refurbishment of Pickering "B" units to be drafted August 2023.
    • OPG submitted the report to government early January 2024 (but not released publicly).
    • Ontario Government announced financial and political support January 30, 2024.
  • The announced plan for refurbishment is similar to Darlington and Bruce refurbishment programs currently underway.
  • The "Project Initiation Phase" will cost $2B and includes:
    • engineering
    • design work
    • securing long-lead components (parts that require years for manufacturing)
  • The entire project (across multiple phases) will cost in excess of $10B.

Refurbishment is necessary for Ontario power generation#

Pickering NGS currently supplies 14% of Ontario's power

If refurbishment goes ahead:

  • 4 units to be refurbished
  • total capacity after refurbishment: 2,100 megawatts (MW) of electricity (equivalent to powering two million homes)
  • 30 year time frame for operations.
  • 4 units will continue after refurbishment, two units will be decommissioned.
  • $19B in economic benefit in Durham Region (and across province)

Additional background#

In 2023 the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station recorded its highest generation output since 2019 and its second-highest output ever as a six-unit station.

  • Two units will stop production in 2024.

  • Installed capacity at Pickering: 3,100 MW across current six units.

    • Darlington capacity: 3,500 MW (4 units)
    • Bruce capacity: 6,300 MW (8 units)

  • Request into the nuclear safety board (Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC)) to extend the life of 4 units until 2026 from September 2024 (Units 5-8).

  • Any service of these units beyond 2026 requires refurbishment.

  • Extension of Pickering to 2026 is estimated as necessary to help maintain base load during refurbishment of reactors at Darlington and Bruce, but mostly Bruce which have been delayed.

    • The additional 2,000MW from the four Pickering units are necessary during this time.

  • Refurbishment of Pickering is part of the plan to provide additional power resources into 2047.

Current best case scenario from the IESO has for current contracts for generation estimated minimum provincial shortfall of generation by 2035 is 4,000 MW without Pickering refurbishment. So, additional contracts will have to be procured for generation. This best case scenario does not include the predicted increase in demand for electricity from achieving net zero.

Some estimates are that an addition 12 reactors worth of equivalent energy is necessary to be generated or procured by 2045.