Feds and Province Expanding Nuclear Energy

 For decades, Canada and Ontario’s nuclear technology has been world-leading, providing safe, reliable, and affordable non-emitting energy, as well as good jobs for workers, with over 75,000 hard-working Canadians employed across the nuclear supply chain. Today, the governments of Canada and Ontario are working together to advance new nuclear power generation in Ontario to cement our globally recognized competitive advantage, meet growing demand for clean energy and create better-paying jobs for Canadians.

Today, on the margins of the Canadian Nuclear Association conference, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced an investment in Ontario’s expansion of nuclear energy with up to $50 million in federal funding for Bruce Power’s assessment of new generation opportunities at its site in Tiverton, Ontario. This funding, from the federal Electricity Predevelopment Program, enables the exploration of a project that could produce power for up to 4,800,000 homes and businesses in Ontario.

This work builds on the Minister Todd Smith, Minister of Energy announcement in July 2023   and is an important step in building the first large-scale nuclear build in Canada in more than 30 years. This project is part of Powering Ontario’s Growth, the province’s plan to meet growing electricity demand and reduce emissions through Ontario’s clean electricity grid.

This project alone represents more than 25 percent of the new nuclear capacity required for Ontario to meet its clean electricity needs in 2050, as recommended by Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator’s Pathways to Decarbonization Report, and it will help Canada with its ongoing efforts to achieve a clean, reliable and affordable electricity grid.

This project also represents a significant domestic economic opportunity, further establishing Canada and Ontario as international leaders on nuclear energy by building on our legacy of developing and deploying safe and reliable nuclear technology in Canada and around the world.

Bruce Power will use the federal funding to support important project pre-development work, including the completion of an Impact Assessment and Licence to Prepare Site application; early engagement activities with local municipalities and Indigenous communities; and technical, environmental and engineering studies and evaluations. This information is crucial for decision-making on a project that has the potential to create and sustain many high-quality jobs in Bruce, Grey and Huron counties, as well as across the Canadian nuclear supply chain.

This investment comes as the Governments of Canada and Ontario are working together on the Canada-Ontario Regional Table collaboration framework, with priorities that include advancing the nuclear industry in Ontario, along with joint actions on electrification, critical minerals, hydrogen, and the forest sector, as well an improved permitting process and increased regulatory effectiveness and efficiency to get clean energy projects online in time to meet rising demand.

Canada and Ontario are also continuing to work collaboratively on the draft Clean Electricity Regulations, as they have since the first draft was released, to address the concerns raised by Ontario’s expert system planners with the goal of ensuring the final regulation will maintain Ontarians’ access to a reliable, affordable and clean electricity system.