Energy minister sidesteps new nuclear commitment
Bentley also announced support for MARS Clean Energy Institute
Ontario’s energy minister ducked Friday when asked whether the province intends to go ahead with building new nuclear reactors at Darlington.
Chris Bentley said the province is still mulling the options of new nuclear reactors, and refused to comment directly when asked whether one option is no new reactors at all.
Ontario Power Generation has proposed building two new reactors at Darlington, with a combined capacity of about 2,000 megawatts.
While no price tag has been placed on the reactors, estimates by outsiders run from $10 billion up.
The project has cleared a federal environmental review, provided it meets certain conditions.
After a speech at the MaRS Centre on Friday, Bentley told reporters the province is still studying the nuclear future.
“I hope to be in a position to speak more about that in the next couple of months,” he said.
“We’ve been working hard to try and put ourselves in a position to better make that decision.”
Asked if he is assuming the new reactors at Darlington will be built, Bentley said:
“Any decision we’ll only make if it’s in the best interests of the ratepayers. Any decision we’ll only make having regard to a full assessment today and into the future of what our needs are and where our needs are.”
Asked if building no new reactors is one of the options being studied, he replied:
“I don’t think I can add much more to what I said. . . . We’ll obviously assess what we need, and when we need it and where we need it.”
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission is currently studying two proposed designs for new reactors, one made by Candu Energy Inc., a unit of SNC-Lavalin, and the other by Westinghouse.
A spokesman for Ontario Power Generation said Friday that it’s negotiating “service level agreements” with both companies.
Bentley also announced the province will provide $500,000 over two years in seed funding for a new Clean Energy Institute at MaRS.
The institute will support the province’s clean energy industry by bringing together business, academic and government people to
“We’ll obviously assess what we need, and when we need it and where we need it.” CHRIS BENTLEY ONTARIO ENERGY MINISTER
build a clean energy sector. In a speech, Bentley said there are “huge opportunities” for Ontario in figuring out how to store electricity. It’s an issue within the province as it seeks to integrate renewable power sources that sometime produce electricity when demand is low. Conservative energy critic Vic Fedeli, who attended the speech, said he was pleased to hear Bentley talk about energy storage, which he said is crucial if the province is going to have a lot of wind power. Wind power currently creates gluts on the Ontario grid from time to time, and the power has to be sold at a loss, he noted. The Conservatives would like to see an expanded hydrogen sector to absorb surplus power, he said. Electricity can be used to make hydrogen when prices are low. Hydrogen can be injected into the natural gas system, and then used to power gas-fired generating turbines when demand picks up.