Ontario planning to keep Pickering nuclear power station open until 2026

The Ford government is planning to extend the life of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station amidst a looming energy crisis.

Todd Smith, Ontario’s Minister of Energy, announced the decision in Pickering on Thursday.

The province has to ask for the Canada Nuclear Safety Commission’s blessing to keep the power station open until 2026. The commission regulates safety within the nuclear energy industry.

Ontario’s long-term energy planning had assumed Pickering would close in a phased shut-down beginning in 2024.

Last year, Pickering alone was responsible for 14 per cent of Ontario’s electricity. The province was preparing to makeup its nuclear power shortfall by increasing the use of natural gas.

Ontario Power Generation says the Pickering facility — responsible for 4,500 jobs — is “one of the largest nuclear stations in the world.” It began operating in 1971.

Smith previously told Global News his priority was ensuring Ontario had an electricity grid that is “stable, reliable, affordable and one that’s clean.”

Pressed on the planned increased reliance on gas — and its emissions — Smith said reliability was his top priority.

“We have to make sure that it’s affordable and we have to make sure that it’s reliable,” he said.

Trending Stories

Read more: Ontario seeks new electricity generation as demand rises, nuclear plant to be retired

But the body that manages Ontario’s energy grid has predicted a spike in demand for electricity the province is not prepared for.

The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) said a growing supply gap of electricity is on the horizon, as broader electrification takes off, particularly in the transportation sector.

Demand from growth in electric vehicles and electrifying public transportation is expected to rise much more quickly starting in about 2035.

Around then, the projected gap between needed and available electricity is expected to hit 5,000 megawatts — enough to power five million homes — during the summer, even if all current power producers renew their contracts.

— with files from The Canadian Press

© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.