Nuclear Energy and Ontario

[rbt]

Pickering refurbs of reactor 5 through 8 have been approved and funded.

This is a timeline for Bruce/Darlington refurbishments. It''s not clear when Pickering will start.

Ontario Green Lights Nuclear Refurbishment of Pickering CANDU Units

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) will refurbish four units at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, Canada’s first major commercial generation plant—

www.powermag.com

I presume this giant stack of Hydrogen which seems to replace natural gas in the 2050 Ontario grid is also somehow related to Nuclear generation: time shifting night nuclear generation to daytime via hydrogen storage.

 

[jje1000]

CANDU and our nuclear energy program still remain something to be very proud of as Canadians.

 

[afransen]

Pickering refurbs of reactor 5 through 8 have been approved and funded.

This is a timeline for Bruce/Darlington refurbishments. It''s not clear when Pickering will start.

Ontario Green Lights Nuclear Refurbishment of Pickering CANDU Units

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) will refurbish four units at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, Canada’s first major commercial generation plant—

www.powermag.com

I presume this giant stack of Hydrogen which seems to replace natural gas in the 2050 Ontario grid is also somehow related to Nuclear generation: time shifting night nuclear generation to daytime via hydrogen storage.

Hydrogen is not a great way to shift energy on a 24h time frame. Hydrogen production could be a good way of soaking up excess power (in overnight time frames, and increasingly around noon due to solar), with the hydrogen being used in industrial processes such as reducing iron for steelmaking, and feedstock for various chemical supply chains. Then maybe hydrogen for seasonal energy storage, though it is questionable whether that will ever make sense vs alternative storage technologies.

I suspect solar/wind generation is wildly underestimated given expected cost declines and process efficiency improvements in permitting and installing new deployments. Australia is achieving crazy low cost per watt (ie, regardless of the solar resource), ~$1/watt vs ~$3 in the US.

Really cheap solar means you build more than you need in summer to manage winter needs and reduce storage requirement, and have huge excess supply in summer. It will also make sense to deploy bifacial vertical mounted solar, perhaps as agrivoltaics (coupled with agricultural uses). This provides shoulder hour power, and benefits from reflections off of snow in winter.

 

[just east of the creek]

Hydrogen is not a great way to shift energy on a 24h time frame. Hydrogen production could be a good way of soaking up excess power (in overnight time frames, and increasingly around noon due to solar), with the hydrogen being used in industrial processes such as reducing iron for steelmaking, and feedstock for various chemical supply chains. Then maybe hydrogen for seasonal energy storage, though it is questionable whether that will ever make sense vs alternative storage technologies.

I suspect solar/wind generation is wildly underestimated given expected cost declines and process efficiency improvements in permitting and installing new deployments. Australia is achieving crazy low cost per watt (ie, regardless of the solar resource), ~$1/watt vs ~$3 in the US.

Really cheap solar means you build more than you need in summer to manage winter needs and reduce storage requirement, and have huge excess supply in summer. It will also make sense to deploy bifacial vertical mounted solar, perhaps as agrivoltaics (coupled with agricultural uses). This provides shoulder hour power, and benefits from reflections off of snow in winter.

Do you mind telling us (me) a bit more about ‘bifacial vertical mounted solar’? The information re Australia is also very interesting. Are there any specific reasons for this success?

 

[afransen]

 

[just east of the creek]

Thank you.This is VERY interesting. From an ag perspective, apparently Ontario scores well down the list of provinces to work with, but regardless, this changes thinking on ‘traditional’ solar arrays. Very interesting indeed.

 

[jje1000]

A warning from Europe:

 

[jje1000]

Ignace and Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation officially selected by NWMO as hosts for Deep Geological Repository​

Midwestern NewspapersNovember 28, 2024

SOUTH BRUCE – On Nov. 28, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) officially announced it has selected Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation (WLON) and the Township of Ignace as the hosts for the future site for Canada’s Deep Geological Repository (DGR) for used nuclear fuel, a press release states. This decision comes after a razor-thin vote in South Bruce on Oct. 28 marked the municipality’s willingness to be considered as hosts for the DGR. Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON) was still in the process of considering future voting to declare willingness or not for the project to be hosted on their territory.

Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation had announced their willingness to take the next step in the site selection process on Nov. 18. Ignace had declared willingness in July.

“The Municipality of South Bruce has been notified that the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) has selected the Township of Ignace and Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation to host the NWMO’s Deep Geological Repository (DGR).nSouth Bruce congratulates the NWMO for the completion of its process and the two northern communities on being the selected site.

The Municipality will receive a $4 million payment from the NWMO for its participation in the site selection process. This payment is in addition to the $4 million the Municipality is set to receive from the NWMO in early 2025 for declaring the community a willing host following a referendum held on October 28, 2024.”

“Through its 12-year participation in the site selection process the Municipality has positioned itself to pursue alternative economic development opportunities,” said Mayor Mark Goetz. “South Bruce looks forward to exploring these opportunities to create success for future generations.”

Ignace and Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation officially selected by NWMO as hosts for Deep Geological Repository

SOUTH BRUCE – On Nov. 28, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) officially announced it has selected Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation (WLON) and the Township of Ignace as the hosts for the future site for Canada’s Deep Geological Repository (DGR) for used nuclear fuel, a press release...

midwesternnewspapers.com

 

[jje1000]

Ontario eyes new electricity generation sites, possibly including nuclear​

Ontario is eyeing three sites across the province for new electricity generation facilities, including the possibility of large-scale nuclear plants.

Energy Minister Stephen Lecce says the province is on track to meet rising electricity demands through to 2035, but after that point the need will continue to skyrocket and Ontario needs to secure more power for the future.

The Independent Electricity System Operator has said demand is set to increase 75 per cent by 2050.

Lecce is looking to three sites that are owned by Ontario Power Generation and already zoned for electricity generation – Nanticoke in Haldimand County, Lambton in St. Clair and Wesleyville in Port Hope.

Lecce is tasking OPG with starting discussions with the municipalities and First Nation communities about putting various forms of electricity generation there.

Officials say this could include any form of generation, including nuclear or gas plants.

Ontario eyes new electricity generation sites, possibly including nuclear

Ontario is eyeing three sites across the province for new electricity generation facilities, including the possibility of large-scale nuclear plants.

toronto.ctvnews.ca

Interesting that all three sites listed above were previously selected as potential nuclear generating sites. Lakeview of course is now off the table given its redevelopment.

Opinion: Keep Ontario's Wesleyville site open for nuclear power development​

The small town on Lake Ontario was OK'd for nuclear in the 1970s. Piggybacking on work done could get the province the power it needs fast
Dylan Moon, Chris Keefer, Chris Adlam and Tom Hess, Special to Financial Post

Ontario has experienced — and met — rapid growth in the demand for electricity before. Amid rapid industrialization in the 1960s and 1970s, Ontario Hydro surveyed the province for ideal spots for new power plants. After extensive seismic, environmental and other assessments, it whittled its list of potential sites down to just seven.

Three — Pickering, Bruce, and Darlington — ended up hosting the nuclear stations that now provide the bulk of Ontario’s electricity emissions-free. Another three — Nanticoke, Lambton, and Lakeview — became coal stations whose output the nuclear plants ultimately replaced. Only Wesleyville remained unused. Hydro did build an oil-fired generator there but then the OPEC crisis hit and it never operated.

Keeping the Wesleyville site for future electricity generation is a must. It was studied, selected and then eventually preserved for that function. Four nearby 500-kilovolt transmission lines solve the hurdle of connecting large power stations of any kind to the grid, thus bypassing the need to clear new transmission corridors through privately-owned land. And Ontario Power Generation owns the land already, which means work can begin soon, without a decade-long siting process certain to be delayed and disrupted. Proximity to the existing Darlington site, only 30 kilometres to the west, also means easy access to key suppliers and qualified labour. Five decades on, Wesleyville is still clearly a prime location for low-carbon power generation.

There is nothing small about the power it would generate, however. With a capacity of 4,800 MW, the site would generate about 2.5 times the combined yearly output of every grid-connected wind turbine and solar panel in the province — and they occupy an estimated land footprint roughly 300 times that of the Wesleyville site.

Opinion: Keep Ontario's Wesleyville site open for nuclear power development

Small town on Lake Ontario was OK'd for nuclear in the '70s. Piggybacking on that work could get province the power it needs fast. Read on

financialpost.com