Ontario Power Generation Totally Explained

Everything about Ontario Power Generation totally explained

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) is a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario.
   OPG is responsible for approximately 70% of the electricity generation in the province of Ontario, Canada .
   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, regulated the price the company receives for its electricity to be less than the market average, in an attempt to stabilize prices. As of April 1, 2008 the company's rates will be regulated by the Ontario Energy Board.
   On the local public relations side, OPG has won many awards for its performance as a "good corporate citizen" . 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 recognized as one of the top employers in the Greater Toronto Area and in 2007 was named one of the top 100 employers in Canada.
   OPG regularly reports on its operational, safety and environmental record. The company publishes semi-annual Performance Reports

summarizing its performance in these areas.

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 in Ontario. 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.
   OPG is proposing to construct and operate a deep geologic repository on the Bruce Nuclear site, adjacent to its present Western Waste Management Facility. The repository would provide permanent storage of low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste produced from the operation of the Bruce, Pickering and Darlington nuclear generating stations. In 2005, OPG initiated the regulatory approval process. The first steps are a comprehensive environmental assessment by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA), and an application for a site preparation and construction license from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. As of early 2008, CEAA was preparing guidelines for the review process.
   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 in 2018. No decision has yet been made on what technology the new reactors will use.
   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 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 doesn't want OPG to compete against private companies in the anticipated lucrative environmentally friendly power market and has stopped OPG from making any proposals in this area. 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 largest individual air pollution sources in its coal fired generating stations. 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 . Nanticoke Generating Station is North America's largest coal fired generating station and the single largest air pollution source for southern Ontario and northern New York state, attracting considerable criticism from environmentalists and legislators in both jurisdictions.
   OPG's Lambton Generating Station is the second largest air polluter in the province. However, both 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, wouldn't be restarted as the business case couldn't 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 (current - 4,640 MW - full 7276 MW)
- 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)

Wesleyville (Mothballed/Never Completed), land purchased in the early-1960's was to have been an oil-fired plant.

Hearn Generating Station-mothballed (1200 MW coal)

Lakeview Generating Station-mothballed and demolished (2400 MW coal) 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 (1600 MW)

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) Altogether there are 29 plants producing 127 MW of power.

Wind Turbine

3 turbines (2 at Bruce and 1 at Pickering (7 MW)

Solar

2 plants (0.009 MW)

Biomass

2 plants (6 MW)Further Information

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