Canada's Federal Court of Appeal on 15 April dismissed a judicial review of the environmental assessment (EA) for Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) planned refurbishment of the Darlington NPP in response to a lawsuit brought by groups led by Greenpeace Canada. The court found that there were no gaps or errors in the 2013 EA, which determined the project would have no significant adverse effects on the public or the environment. It also found that there was "nothing unreasonable" about determinations made by the responsible authorities that reviewed the EA, and found that arguments brought by the intervenors were not borne out by evidence.
OPG announced the CAD12.8bn billion ($9bn) project to refurbish the four Darlington Candu units in January, after nine years of scoping work and detailed planning. The refurbishment of the first unit will begin in October, and the project will take 10 years to complete for all the units. Refurbishment will enable the units, which supply about 20% of Ontario's electricity, to continue to operate for a further 30 years.
