Next Ontario nuclear plant should be CANDU-powered and it should be at Darlington, says nuclear lobbyist

Adding as many as three new power plants – including one at the Ontario Power Generation-owned Wesleyville site a few miles east of Darlington nuclear – is great news for Durham Region and especially for the deep pool of supply chain workers here and around the province, said the co-founder for Canadians for Nuclear Energy.

But Dr. Chris Keefer believes the province is making a “big mistake” by not adding capacity in the place already producing 20 per cent of Ontario’s energy needs: Darlington.

“It’s frustrating because we have the perfect site: it’s called Darlington,” Keefer said of the nuclear plant in Clarington that is churning out 3,512 megawatts of power but is licensed for a whole lot more. “So to me, this is a big mistake.”

The province is looking to add three electricity plants on sites owned by OPG and already zoned for electricity generation – Nanticoke in Haldimand County, Lambton in St. Clair and Wesleyville in Northumberland County – to meet skyrocketing energy demands that are forecasted to jump 75 per cent by 2050.

The idea of Wesleyville as a future nuclear site is not news to the Canadians for Nuclear Energy organization. Keefer, fellow co-founder Chris Adlam, along with Dylan Moon and Tom Hess penned an op-ed in the Financial Post in the spring talking about the site’s potential.

“Rising electricity demand is driving Ontario to plan big increases in its capacity to generate low-carbon power, especially nuclear,” the group wrote. “Finding, studying, and approving a site can take decades, so accelerating the search should be a top priority for energy planners. Ontario already has an ideal, approved site for new power generation: Wesleyville.”

Ontario Energy Minister Steven Lecce has not ruled out non-nuclear options for the sites but given that his government is calling nuclear power the “backbone” of the province’s energy future it seems reasonable to assume, Keefer noted, that nuclear is the way to go.

But not just any nuclear, he added.

Dr. Chris Keefer of Canadians for Nuclear Energy

Ontario should be building full-scale nuclear plants using made-in-Canada CANDU know-how instead of pushing American technology now being used in the small modular reactor project underway at Darlington.

“We’re building US-designed nuclear while Trump is threatening a trade war,” he said. “We need to be leaning into our competitive advantage. This should be CANDU.”

Full-scale nuclear reactors also offer a better bang for the taxpayer buck, he explained, because of economies of scale. “We should be building large-scale nuclear. And we should be building it at Darlington.”

The Society of Union Professionals, a 10,000-member strong union of Ontario engineers, lawyers, scientists and IT professionals, agreed, saying their “strong preference” would be to see new CANDU nuclear built on these sites. “It is the best way to generate new, emissions-free, low-cost power.”

Prioritizing Canada’s nuclear advantage aside, the Ontario government’s energy announcement is still great news, Keefer said, especially for those involved in the nuclear supply chain in Durham.

“There’s going to be more work for the supply chain all across Ontario,” he said, adding the presence of those skilled workers is a key reason the $12.8 refurbishment project at Darlington nuclear has been on budget and ahead of schedule. “It’s why the refurbishment at Darlington has been so successful.”

But even though the sites chosen by the provincial government have existing transportation networks that will help speed things along, it will still take decades to get a new plant up and running.

“We can do it much quicker at Darlington.”

Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster is “thrilled” with the economic potential if the province follows through with its promises, saying the energy production from even one new plant will create “thousands of jobs and inject billions” into the Ontario economy.

And like Keefer, Foster believes building a full-scale nuclear reactor is the right call.

“Let’s raise the stakes on Darlington’s SMRs by adding a full-scale nuclear reactor project. Ontario’s residents will hit the jackpot if the province and OPG up the ante.”