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The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission says that Ontario Power Generation’s proposal to build a new nuclear power station at its Darlington site should be subjected to a review by an environmental assessment panel.
The recommendation was made by the safety watchdog yesterday and submitted to Environment Minister John Baird, who must make the final decision on whether to appoint a panel, the strongest action available under federal regulations.
The CNSC could have undertaken more study of the proposal or held public consultations about it before recommending the panel review – steps it decided to skip.
The call for a panel was expected because of the sheer size of the OPG proposal. The provincially owned electricity company is considering building a massive 4,800-megawatt complex on the shores of Lake Ontario, about an hour’s drive east of Toronto. If constructed, it would be one of the largest power stations in the world.
It would meet the electricity needs on a typical day of a quarter of Ontario’s homes and businesses.
“Overall, we’re pleased with the recommendation,” OPG spokesman John Earl said.
OPG has not disclosed the cost of the proposal, the type of the reactor to be built, or the expected in-service date.
But most observers believe it will take about a decade, or longer, from the start of an environmental assessment to the completion of the reactors. Any new plant will come with a multibillion-dollar price tag.
Even though it will take years to build the reactors, Greenpeace spokesman Shawn-Patrick Stensil said, the CNSC’s recommendation, if accepted, would help OPG by streamlining the approval process.
In a speech last year, CNSC president Linda Keen said power companies would shave at least eight months from the environmental review process if the government watchdog didn’t hold public consultations and instead recommended the minister proceed directly to an assessment panel.
“The Harper government has been portraying the CNSC as an arduous regulator. I think this an example of where the CNSC is acting on behalf of the nuclear industry,” Mr. Stensil asserted.