The government of Ontario, Canada, where three of the country’s four nuclear power plants are located, has decided to invest in refurbishing the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, pending final approval in 2026.
The decision has received some pushback from the nonprofit Environmental Defence organization, which suggested the costly $26.8-billion refurbishment plan for Pickering Nuclear Generating Station Units 5 to 8 will ultimately mean higher electricity bills and more pollution, and it will sideline clean-energy solutions.
Data from World Nuclear revealed that in 2024, 15% of Canada’s electricity came from nuclear power, while 66% was delivered by renewable sources, including hydroelectricity (55%), wind (8%), biofuels and waste (2%), and solar power (1%).
“For more than 50 years, nuclear power has been the backbone of Ontario’s energy grid, with the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station as one of the best-performing and continuously operating nuclear stations in the world,” said Stephen Lecce, the Canadian Minister of Energy and Mines, in a statement.
“To deliver on our major jobs plan to get Canadians working, extending the life of the facility will create jobs for tens of thousands of skilled workers while we build up the Ontario supply chain and keep 90% of our project spend in this country,” he added.
Environmental Defence argues that the government’s plan would expand nuclear’s footprint to 75% of all electricity generation by 2050. Because nuclear generation lacks flexibility in ramping up or down with demand, they say integration with wind and solar will be limited.
It also stated that this design would instead leave Ontario relying on dirtier fuel sources to balance the area’s electrical grid, leading to more planet-warming pollution and increased costs.
“Committing to refurbish Pickering — already one of the oldest nuclear stations in North America — adds more risk to an already risky strategy,” the group said.
According to Environmental Defence, having the reactors offline for most of the next decade for refurbishing would mean the electricity sector’s emissions of around 2.5 megatonnes would soar to 20 megatonnes by 2050, effectively negating the gains made by phasing out coal as an energy source.
Nuclear power provides around 9% of the world’s electricity and accounts for 20% of low-carbon electricity, according to the World Nuclear Association, helping reduce reliance on coal, oil, and gas. The resulting pollution from burning these fuel sources traps heat in the atmosphere, increasing global temperatures.
However, in addition to the risks of derailing cleaner-energy efforts with the Pickering project, the Environmental Defence group also believes that nuclear energy is one of the most expensive sources of electricity and has contributed to a 29% increase in electricity rates.
“Ontario does not need to choose a pathway that locks in higher costs and higher emissions,” the group said in a statement.
“There is still time to shift course toward a modern electricity system that prioritizes renewables, energy efficiency, storage, and reliability — without saddling Ontarians with decades of unnecessary nuclear expansion and increased gas burning.”
There will be a two-part public hearing by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission in 2026 to consider the application by Pickering’s operator, Ontario Power Generation, which seeks to extend its operating license through 2036 and proceed with refurbishment plans.
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