Nuclear Power In Ontario –the Future

January 14, 2007 on 7:39 pm | In Miscellaneous Musings! | Comments Off

Nuclear Power In Ontario –the Future - A write-up (not sent anywhere)

In December, an Ontario government-established agency recommended that the province’s existing nuke plants be refurbished and new reactors built. The report, by the Ontario Power Authority, said nuclear power is a critical piece of the province’s power grid. If there are no new nuclear plants, the authority said, then stable electricity supply could not be assured.

In the U.S.A. licence applications for as many as 12 nuclear plants to be built in seven states have been made.

A fifth nuclear plant is currently under construction in Finland and the Labour government in Britain is reportedly pushing for the construction of new reactors and a review of energy policy is underway.

Nuclear power meets more than 40 per cent of Ontario’s electricity needs. It has two major benefits – low operating costs and none of the emissions that lead to smog, acid rain or global warming. These benefits make nuclear a very attractive option for meeting the province’s electricity needs well into the future.

In a News Release dated 2005 December 09, the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) has advised Ontario’s Minister of Energy that a balanced portfolio of power sources will help ensure the reliability and availability of electricity for the next 20 years
The Supply Mix Advice will form the foundation for the Province’s first 20-year Integrated Power System Plan, also in preparation by the OPA for submission to the Ontario Energy Board in the summer of 2006. The Integrated Plan will be updated every three years to reflect new opportunities and challenges. It is estimated that in the next 15 years, almost two-thirds of our base-load generation will need replacement
A lack of investment to expand electricity capacity in Ontario in the past decade has already resulted in tight supply as a result of this under-investment, the sector faces the loss of a major part of its current supply mix as most units of its nuclear fleet reach the end of their design life over the next several years. The loss of nuclear generation would come immediately on the heels of replacement of coal-fired stations, scheduled for completion by 2009. Together, the combination of demand growth and generation retirements would create a gap of roughly 24,000 megawatts (MW) by 2025, equivalent to about 80% of Ontario’s current capacity.
The Supply Mix Advice will recommend the appropriate mix of electricity supply sources to satisfy the expected demand in Ontario, taking into account conservation targets and new sources of renewable energy out to 2025.
The new nuclear power generation will be required as part of the balanced mix to bridge the looming gap and satisfy the growing power need of Ontario.
However, the development of nuclear power is highly regulated and requires regulatory review, approval and license. The licensing process is very involved and complex for each phase of development from a site selection to final commissioning of a plant. The whole process could take up to 12 years for a new site. There are existing licensed sites in Ontario such as Bruce Power (Kincarden), Darlington (Clarington) NPD (Rolphton) and Chalk River Nuclear Site ( Deep River).
The power demand is increasing in the southern Ontario but also in the capital region.. It is believed that a power plant either at NPD site in Rolphton or at Chalk River Nuclear Site would be good site for power plant for providing power to the capital region as well as northern region..

References
http://www.powerauthority.on.ca/Page.asp?PageID=122&ContentID=1176
http://www.powerauthority.on.ca/Report_Static/1139.htm

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