Ontario is providing $1 billion for a plan to extend the life of the Sir Adam Beck 1 and 2 generating stations, located on the Niagara River.
They are the largest hydroelectric dams in the province, producing enough electricity to power 1.7 million homes.
The project plans to replace almost all of the existing production units at the two power plants with new equipment, such as turbines.
The state company Ontario Power Generation (OPG) signed a contract with GE Vernovaa new energy company spun off from the multinational GE Corpto complete the project.
Work is expected to begin in 2025 and extend over 15 years, to reduce the number of units out of service at any one time.
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Energy Minister Todd Smith is reassuring about the impact on the province’s electricity supply.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Francis Ferland
Power plant production will not be affected, says provincial Energy Minister Todd Smith.
The plan will produce clean electricity at the facility while the refurbishment takes place
he said during the press conference on Tuesday morning.
It is important that production and the system remain reliable while we carry out the refurbishment; this is why we remove the units [une par une] . We can isolate them. We’ve done this before. This will not be the first job of its kind, so we are confident in our ability
added Nicolle Butcher, CEO of OPG.
The renovation will increase the production of approximately 1,700 megawatts of hydroelectric power, which is enough to power approximately 1.7 million homes.
Billions invested in nuclear power
Ontario has announced several investments in the electricity industry recently.
The province had notably confirmed the refurbishment of four reactors at the Pickering nuclear power plant, east of Toronto, as well as the expansion of the nuclear power plant in Bruce.
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Four reactors at the Pickering power station will be refurbished, but the Ontario government has not revealed the cost of the work.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Patrick Morrell
Several expansions of gas-fired power plants are also underway, despite critics saying they will increase carbon emissions from Ontario’s electricity system.
L’Independent Electricity Systems Operatorthe organization that manages the supply and demand of electricity in Ontario, projects that electricity demand in the province will increase by 59% by 2050 due to population growth and the expected reduction in electricity consumption. use of fossil fuels.
With information from CBC
