Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has signed a partnership agreement with the Municipality of Port Hope for new energy generation at the Wesleyville site. The project is expected to support 10,500 jobs across Ontario while contributing CAD235bn ($171bn) to Ontario’s GDP over its lifespan.
“With more chaos coming from the White House, now is exactly the time to double down on Canada, putting our workers, technology, and supply chain first,” said Stephen Lecce, Ontario’s Minister of Energy & Mines. “This agreement is an important step forward as we build the world’s largest nuclear station, creating over 10,000 good-paying jobs and reliable power for up to 10m homes. We express thanks to Port Hope for the partnership with OPG, as we work together to boost both the local and Canadian economy, with over 90% of nuclear investment stamped with Made in Canada.”
The 1,300-acre Wesleyville site, which is maintained by OPG, is located near existing transmission, road and railway infrastructure, and already zoned for new electricity generation. The site was originally set to host an oil-fired station in the 1970s. In January, OPG submitted their Initial Project Description to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada for approval. OPG and Port Hope will work together throughout the Impact Assessment phase and any additional regulatory approvals and licensing processes.
OPG and Port Hope will work to:
- Collaborate, share information and provide technical input required to inform the federal Impact Assessment and meet the prescribed timelines for the proposed project.
- Facilitate community engagement and outreach to educate, listen and include the community in matters related to energy production, nuclear generation and environmental stewardship.
- Promote the health of local ecosystems, air quality, and water resources related to proposed new nuclear generation in the surrounding areas.
- Advance and promote economic development, leveraging OPG’s discipline, expertise and resources to support local business attraction and retention, and create local job opportunities.
OPG has also provided a further CAD4m of growth readiness funding to Port Hope to support the community in preparing for the workload of the Impact Assessment process and beginning stages of a proposed Wesleyville nuclear facility. An additional CAD500,000 was provided to support specific staffing requirements related to project work. This funding builds on the initial CAD1m of readiness funding that OPG provided to Port Hope and represents a significant step toward a future Host Municipality Agreement. OPG has installed a Discovery Centre in Port Hope where the public can learn about nuclear power and its benefits
“The MOU between the Municipality and OPG represents the kind of forward-looking collaboration our community needs to prepare for future growth as we continue to explore the development of clean energy generation in Port Hope,” said Olena Hankivsky, Mayor of the Municipality of Port Hope.
Advancing new nuclear energy projects is a key pillar of Energy for Generations, the province’s first-ever integrated energy plan to power a resilient, self-reliant and competitive economy.
Nuclear power currently provides about 50% of Ontario’s electricity supply and has positioned Ontario as one of the cleanest electricity grids in the world. Ontario’s nuclear industry supports around 80,000 good-paying jobs in communities across the province.
Wesleyville is one of three sites, along with Lambton and Nanticoke, that OPG continues to explore opportunities with Rightsholders and local communities for potential new generation to meet Ontario’s forecasted increase in energy demand.
Although OPG has not yet selected a specific reactor technology for the Wesleyville site, it is expected to use its “plant parameter envelope” approach for site licensing. This approach is known to include Westinghouse’s AP1000, EDF’s EPR, Atkins Realis’s Candu Monark, and GE-Hitachi’s BWRX-300.
