Canadian Nuclear Industry Urges Regulator to Renew Darlington Licence

OTTAWA (November 4, 2015) – The Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA) today called on the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to renew the Darlington nuclear power plant’s operating licence for 13 years.

“This period would ensure that Ontario Power Generation had a consistent set of licence conditions throughout the Darlington refurbishment project,” said CNA President and CEO Dr. John Barrett. “This consistency would allow work to proceed in the safest manner possible,” he added.

A longer licence term would still allow for safety reviews and public scrutiny of Darlington’s performance before the commission, Dr. Barrett said.

The Darlington station’s four nuclear reactors provide about 20 percent of Ontario’s electrical supply. They entered service between 1990 and 1993.

OPG is about to invest $12.8 billion to replace key components, and to ensure that Darlington provides affordable, reliable electricity well into the 21^st century. The project is creating several thousand jobs, and will ensure that Darlington remains a key employer.

Nuclear energy plants emit no climate-changing greenhouse gases during power generation, just like hydro dams, wind turbines and solar panels. Like hydro, but unlike solar and wind, nuclear plants generate power around the clock in any weather.

These attributes enabled Ontario to get rid of coal-fired generation, reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, and significantly reduce respiratory illnesses and deaths caused by air pollution, Dr. Barrett said. “Nuclear power is Ontario’s biggest source of clean energy.”

In addition to the four reactors at Darlington, Ontario operates six reactors at its Pickering station and eight more at the Bruce station. In all, these 18 reactors produced 62 per cent of Ontario’s electricity last year.

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Malcolm Bernard
Director of Communications
613-237-4262