Member Spotlight: OPG

Ontario Power Generation was established in 1999 as part of the restructuring of Ontario Hydro. It is a commercial company that is 100 per cent owned by the province of Ontario. A leader in clean-power generation, OPG has a fleet of power stations, including nuclear generators, which produce power that is almost completely free of smog and greenhouse gas emissions, making them the largest clean energy generator in Ontario. The CNA recently sat down with Kevin Powers from OPG to talk power, people and partnerships.

Refurbishment:

The recent investment by the Government of Ontario and its stakeholders to refurbish the Darlington nuclear plant in Ontario shows a strong commitment to ensuring clean, safe electricity production for years to come. Extending the life of Darlington will
also provide economic investments for the province through job creation and increased government revenues. This project will create an average of almost nine-thousand jobs over the life of the project which is expected to be completed by 2026. The value of refurbishment can’t be overstated. In order to continue to deliver safe, clean power, our nuclear fleet needed some upkeep. Thanks to this investment, we will be able to generate clean power safely while locking in nuclear power costs for the next thirty years; giving our kids some security when it comes to electricity.

People of OPG:

We are proud to celebrate a diverse workforce of approximately 9,000 people that come from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Our employees represent a diverse skill set of varying educational and technical backgrounds, allowing us to draw on some of the very best talent globally. We invest heavily in providing a healthy and safe work environment for all our employees. We can’t stress enough how important having a safe and respectful work environment is.  To that end, our company offers numerous training opportunities and resources to help employees excel and advance in their careers. We truly value our team and we want to give them the most opportunities possible to experience a rewarding and fulfilling career during their time with Ontario Power Generation.

Biodiversity:

It’s all about the 4 “R’s,” retaining, restoring, replacing and recovering when it comes to our stance on biod
iversity. We focus on retaining what is ecologically significant, restoring habitats or replacing them when feasible and recovering at risk species. We create and care for wetlands, woodlands and greenspaces all over the province to help support hundreds of different plants and animals. Some of the projects that OPG has invested in to protect the province’s biodiversity include enhancing lake sturgeon populations in Thunder Bay and Timmins, a project which has been going on for a decade. Another project which we are equally proud of was a pretty big undertaking, planting five million trees in south-west Ontario. OPG was also a key partner in the Bring Back the Salmon program, stocking more than two million fish since 2012 into Lake Ontario. We really believe that leading in business means leading in contributions to the communities that allow us to do our jobs every day. It’s a real privilege and we look forward to our partnership with the province of Ontario for years to come.