Save Pickering

Our website http://savepickering.ca was launched in August of 2020, just over 6 years ago. Two years later, in August of 2022, we issued a call for action with our Save Pickering campaign, releasing our report making the case for the refurbishment of the facility.

We faced opposition from OPG at the time, who wanted us to drop this and rally behind the SMR project, stating that they had already moved-on and Pickering's retirement was a done deal.

We refused.

We got our report in front of Todd Smith, who in turn got it in front of Doug Ford. This resulted in a conversation with Ken Hartwick about the claims made in the report and ultimately an investigation into the feasibility of refurbishment. The rest is history.

https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1008028/ontario-starts-construction-on-pickering-nuclear-refurbishment?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dhtwitter&utm_content=app.dashsocial.com%2Fonenergy%2Flibrary%2Fmedia%2F723605338

Save Pickering Movement for preserving 20% of Ontario's ultra-low emissions generation.

2025 was an excellent year for the soon-to-be refurbished Ontario Power Generation Pickering B units with an average capacity factor of 91.34%.

Unit capacity factors:
Unit 5 - 90.4%
Unit 6 - 75.5%
Unit 7 - 99.5%
Unit 8 - 99.9%

Total production was 16.5TWh.

Happy New Year from Pickering2075!

Great to see this announcement today that the province has approved the final cost figure for the Pickering refurbishment. While more expensive than Darlington, this was expected, due to the considerably more extensive scope of work including the replacement of all 48 steam generators.

While the final figure is higher than initially estimated during our campaign, this is explained by both the effects of inflation as well as the expansion of the project scope to include the fitment of a 1.5km long deep water inlet like is used at Darlington and Bruce, which will permanently eliminate the algae bloom issue that Pickering has sometimes experienced during the summer months.

Offsetting the increased cost is the longer pressure tube life Pickering experiences and the expected increase in unit capacity, which we previous saw demonstrated by Unit 5 at 560MWe before header temps forced a derate. If this is extended across all four units, the B unit output increases to 2,240MWe post refurbishment.

https://www.opg.com/stories/opg-set-to-refurbish-pickering-nuclear-to-secure-decades-more-reliable-low-carbon-power-for-ontario/

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Pickering had some stand-out CF's in 2024, including units 1 and 4 in their final year:

- Pickering 1: 98.1%
- Pickering 4: 92.4%
- Pickering 6: 98.8%
- Pickering 8: 91.2%

Will be exciting to see what post-refurbishment looks like!

Pickering is receiving a deep water inlet upgrade as part of its refurbishment. Great to see work on this project progressing!

Public Notice 📢

Barges are now in place south of Pickering Nuclear Station until the fall to support geotechnical assessments for the refurbishment planning. A refurbished Pickering NGS will play an important role in supporting the province's future growth and electrification. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4d1x2Ks

More progress on the Pickering refurbishment:

"As part of the preparation for refurbishment, the government has authorized OPG to sign a $2.1 billion contract with CanAtom for early engineering and procurement to prepare for the ex*****on of the Retube Feeder and Boiler Replacement Program, creating more than 2,400 jobs across the province."

"OPG will now proceed with the Project Definition Phase of the project, which will last through 2026. The government is supporting OPG’s $4.1 billion budget for this phase of work, bringing the total investment to date in the project to $6.2 billion. OPG will complete a high-quality cost estimate and schedule for the project, progress detailed engineering, further procurement and contracting work, as well as develop a robust project ex*****on plan. This extensive planning and preparation will help ensure the final project, if approved, is completed on time and on budget, consistent with the Darlington Refurbishment Project which is on-budget and ahead of schedule."

Ontario Advancing Plan to Refurbish Pickering Nuclear Generating Station | Ontario Newsroom Ontario Advancing Plan to Refurbish Pickering Nuclear Generating Station | Ontario Newsroom

Today at noon Ontario Power Generation Pickering A4, the final Pickering A unit, enters retirement.

Unit 4 entered commercial service on June 17th, 1973, putting it at 51 years old. It was one of the fastest CANDU reactors constructed, 5 years shovel to in-service.

As the final whisper of steam leaves the A plant, it is bittersweet, as its sister, and site mate, Pickering B has a bright future ahead of it with full refurbishment and many more decades of operation.

Pickering was planned around an average capacity factor of 60%, which was pretty typical for thermal plants of the period.

In the first 10 years of operation for each unit:
Pickering A1: 81.1%
Pickering A2: 83.0%
Pickering A3: 78.0%
Pickering A4: 82.1%
Pickering B5: 76.7%
Pickering B6: 83.8%
Pickering B7: 86.9%
Pickering B8: 82.5%

Making it one of the best performing plants in the world at the time.

From 1971 to 1996 (the first 10 years for each unit) Pickering would generate 472TWh, which is more than all the wind and solar constructed in Ontario under the GEA will generate over its lifetime (341TWh).

As we head toward the Pickering B refurbishment, reflecting on the 1,000TWh the plant will have provided by the time the refurbishment starts, it's incredible to see the track record and continued support of this wonderful Canadian technology.

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