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'Ontario Power Generation' (OPG) is a public company whose shares are wholly owned by the Government of Ontario. It is responsible for approximately 70% of the electricity generation in the province of Ontario, Canada ^[1].
OPG was established in April 1999 under the provincial government of premier Mike Harris as a precursor to deregulation of the province's electricity market. As part of government plans to privatize the assets of Ontario Hydro, the utility was split into five separate corporations. OPG was created as the owner and operator of all of Ontario Hydro's electricity generating stations. Although Ontario has an open electricity market, the provincial government, as OPG's sole shareholder, regulates the price the company receives for its electricity to be less than the market average, in an attempt to stabilize prices.
On the local public relations side, OPG has won many awards for its performance as a "good corporate citizen" ^[2]. Most recently, OPG was named "Business of the Year" by the Kincardine and District Chamber of Commerce. OPG regularly sponsors community events and houses wildlife trails in the exclusion zones around its reactors. The company's annual employee charity campaign has raised millions of dollars for charities across Ontario. In 2006, OPG was also recognized as one of the top employers in the Greater Toronto Area.
OPG regularly reports on its operational, safety and environmental record. The company publishes semi-annual Performance Reports summarizing its performance in these areas.

Contents

Nuclear power

Alternative energy

Controversies and criticism

Power plants

Nuclear

Fossil fuel

Large hydroelectric

Small hydroelectric

References

External Links

Nuclear power

OPG is Canada's largest owner of nuclear power plants with responsibility for operating the Pickering A, Pickering B and Darlington nuclear generating stations. OPG also owns the Bruce A and Bruce B nuclear stations. The Bruce A and Bruce B stations are currently on a long term lease to Bruce Power since May 2001. The lease is set to expire in 2018 but can be extended for an additional 25 years.
In early 2006, a letter of intent was sent from OPG to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) giving notice for regulatory approval to construct and operate a geologic disposal facility on the Bruce Nuclear Generating Site within the municipality of Kincardine, Ontario. This proposed project would allow for the permanent storage of low- and intermediate-level radioactive wastes produced from the operation of the nuclear generating stations of Bruce, Pickering and Darlington, Ontario, in a deep geologic setting. This project will require a comprehensive environmental assessment to identify the possible environmental effects of the proposed project, and determine whether these effects can be mitigated.
OPG has also begun the process for building up to four new nuclear units at the site of its Darlington Nuclear Station. There is a lengthy approvals process in place including a full Environmental Assessment which will take 3–4 years to complete. If everything goes well, the new units would go into service sometime around 2018. No decision has been made on what technology will be used but the government has indicated its preference for the CANDU design.
In addition, the company is currently conducting studies to determine the feasibility of refurbishing the 4 reactors at the Pickering B nuclear generating station. A final decision on refurbishment is expected in early 2008. The 4 reactors at Pickering B represent over 2,000 megawatts of generating capacity.

Alternative energy

OPG, currently, owns and operates or contracts some limited alternative electricity generation through two wind power sites as well as two solar power sites and two biomass energy sites. However, OPG's development of green power sources has been limited as the government does not want OPG to compete against private companies in the anticipated lucrative environmentally friendly power market. OPG is however experimenting with biomass as a way of cutting down emissions from its fossil-fueled generating stations.

Controversies and criticism

OPG has attracted considerable controversy for its continued operation of some of Canada's worst individual air pollution sources in its coal fired generating stations. Nanticoke GS is North America's largest coal fired generating station and the single worst air pollution source for southern Ontario and northern New York state, attracting considerable criticism from environmentalists and legislators in both jurisdictions. Because Nanticoke houses a massive 3,900 MW of generation capacity in one site, it produces "the most pollution in one site" despite being a reasonably clean plant per megawatt of power ^[3].
OPG's Lambton Generating Station is the second worst air polluter in the province. However, these stations generate considerably less pollution than the collective smog produced by cars and trucks in the Golden Horseshoe and are cleaner than many of the coal power stations in neighboring jurisdictions.
OPG endured significant criticism concerning the slow return to operation of some of its nuclear generating stations which had been knocked offline by the 2003 North America blackout. The problem was that all but one of the reactors were tripped and allowed to poison out, preventing an early reconnection to the electricity grid. Once shut down, all nuclear reactors take a relatively long amount of time to return to service.
Another source of criticism was the extended and expensive refit to Unit 4 of the four mothballed reactors at the Pickering A Nuclear Station. Management underestimated the amount of work and complexity of the Unit 4 refurbishment project. However, the experience of refurbishing Pickering A Unit 1 was significantly different with a much tighter adherence to schedule and budget. Unit 1 was returned to service in November 2005 providing 542 MW of generating capacity for Ontario's electricity system. It was decided that Pickering Units 2 and 3, which had considerably larger maintenance issues, would not be restarted as the business case could not be made.

Power plants

OPG's portfolio consists of more than 22,000 megawatts of electricity generating capacity. The company owns and operates three nuclear stations, five fossil fuel generating stations, sixty-four hydroelectric and three wind generating stations.

Nuclear

★ Pickering A (1,030 MW - 2 CANDU Reactors)

★ Pickering B (2,064 MW - 4 CANDU Reactors)

★ Darlington (3,524 MW - 4 CANDU reactors)

★ Bruce A (4 CANDU reactors, operated by Bruce Power)

★ Bruce B (4 CANDU reactors, operated by Bruce Power)

Fossil fuel

★ Atikokan (211 MW coal)

★ Lambton (1,972 MW coal)

★ Nanticoke (4,096 MW coal) The largest coal-fired power plant in North America.

★ Thunder Bay (303 MW coal)

★ Lennox (2,140 MW oil/natural gas)
'Partnerships'

★ Brighton Beach Generating Station (580 MW natural gas), Jointly owned by OPG and ATCO Power Ltd. Operated by Coral Energy Canada Inc.

★ Portlands Energy Centre (550 MW natural gas), Jointly owned by OPG and TransCanada Energy. Currently under construction.

Large hydroelectric

★ DeCew Falls 1 (Twelve Mile Creek)

★ Decew Falls 2 (Twelve Mile Creek)

★ Ontario Power (retired) (Niagara River)

★ Sir Adam Beck 1 (Niagara River)

★ Sir Adam Beck 2 (Niagara River)

★ Sir Adam Beck Pump-Generating Station (Niagara River)

★ Abitibi Canyon (Abitibi River)

★ Harmon (Mattagami River)

★ Hound Chute (Montreal River)

★ Indian Chute (Montreal River)

★ Kipling (Mattagami River)

★ Little Long (Mattagami River)

★ Lower Notch (Montreal River)

★ Lower Sturgeon Falls (Mattagami River)

★ Matabitchuan (Montreal River)

★ Otter Rapids (Abitibi River)

★ Sandy Falls (Mattagami River)

★ Smoky Falls (Mattagami River)

★ Wawaitin Falls (Mattagami River)

★ Aguasabon (Aguasabon River)

★ Alexander Falls (Nipigon River)

★ Cameron Falls (Nipigon River)

★ Caribou Falls (English River)

★ Ear Falls (English River)

★ Kakabeka (Kaministiquia River)

★ Manitou Falls (English River)

★ Pine Portage (Nipigon River)

★ Silver Falls (Dog River)

★ Whitedog Falls (Winnipeg River)

★ Arnprior (Madawaska River)

★ Barrett Chute (Madawaska River)

★ Calabogie (Madawaska River)

★ Chats Falls (Ottawa River)

★ Chenaux (Ottawa River)

★ Des Joachims (Ottawa River)

★ Mountain Chute (Madawaska River)

★ Otto Holden (Ottawa River)

★ R.H. Saunders (St. Lawrence River)

★ Stewartville (Madawaska River)

Small hydroelectric

★ Auburn (Otanabee River)

★ Big Chute (Severn River)

★ Big Eddy (Muskoka River)

★ Bingham Chute (South River)

★ Coniston (Wanapitei River)

★ Crystal Falls (Sturgeon R)

References

1. Ontario Power Generation performance report
2. Ontario Power Generation awards
3. The Globe and Mail

External Links

★ Images from the OPG Collection Niagara Falls Public Library (Ont.)

★ Material related to power developments at Niagara Falls with an interactive map Niagara Falls Public Library (Ont.)