Bringing Bruce A Back to Life has Transformed Ontario’s Energy Sector

This morning, the following article appeared in the Windsor Star, which contained a series of factual inaccuracies.

Our friends at Bruce Power wrote this letter to the editor to clear things up.

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To the Editor:

I would like to set the record straight on an article that was published in the Windsor Star this morning that contained a series of factual inaccuracies on the role nuclear power generation plays in Ontario.

Nuclear power provides half of Ontario’s electricity every day – that’s one out of two homes, car plants, businesses and schools. At Bruce Power, we provide a reliable source of low-cost electricity that is a major contributor to not only keeping the lights on, but getting the province off coal by the end of 2014.

The article states, “It took 15 years to complete the refurbishment,” of Bruce A’s Units 1 and 2. This is not correct. When these units were taken out of service in the 1990s there were no plans to bring them back to service until Bruce Power assumed control of the site in 2001. We immediately returned Units 3 and 4 to service by 2004 and then, in late-2005, launched something that had never been done before – the full refurbishment of two nuclear units. All of this was done by private investment in these publically owned assets.

Bringing Bruce A back to life has transformed Ontario’s energy sector with a large supply of low-cost, clean electricity.

Following Units 1 and 2 being removed from service in 1995 and 1997, combined with Units 3 and 4 in 1998, fossil generation dramatically increased in Ontario – it jumped from 12 per cent of electricity in 1995 to 29 per cent in 2000. With these units now back in service, we can move forward with a clean energy future and support the phase-out of coal by the end of 2014.

The economic analysis in the article is also inaccurate. There is no doubt the economics of energy involves many elements, but there is only one thing that matters to consumers – how much they pay for electricity. The Bruce Power site supplies low-cost electricity for Ontario ratepayers and we are undisputedly lower than the other supply options raised in the article. In fact, the price consumers pay for Bruce A output is 6.8 cents per kilowatt-hour, which is significantly lower than solar at 44 and 80 cents, depending on the type of project. This information is available on the Ontario Power Authority’s website.

We appreciate the opportunity to correct the record. For more information visit www.brucepower.com.

James Scongack
Vice-President, Corporate Affairs
Bruce Power