Nuclear energy has been an important part of Ontario’s energy production since the 1960’s. Nuclear energy provides more than half of the power used by Ontarians every day and is historically the backbone of energy systems in Ontario. Ontario’s total energy generation capacity is 14,000 megawatts (MW).
The Process…
Canadian nuclear reactors use natural uranium for fuel instead of coal, oil or natural gas. The uranium is not burned up; rather, it produces heat from an atom-splitting process called fission. When the atoms split into two lighter fission-products, they release heat at the same time.
This process generates a huge amount of heat that needs to be transferred to boilers to make steam. Canadian Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) reactors use water to do this job, constantly pumping heavy water (highly enriched with hydrogen isotope deuterium) through the fuel channels and taking the heat from the fuel bundles up to the boilers above the reactor. This heavy water heats up the regular water in the boilers to make steam, which is then piped out over the turbine where it drives the generators that make the electricity we use. Simple as that!
The Plants…
There are 3 power plant sites in Ontario, with 16 of 20 reactors currently operating. Pickering and Darlington are part of Ontario Power Generation, while Bruce Power is Ontario’s first privately owned power plant.
Pickering Generating Station (6 operating units, 2 out of service)
One of the world’s largest nuclear facilities, Pickering Station is located on Lake Ontario, just east of Toronto. The site divides into Pickering A and Pickering B. Pickering A has two operating CANDU reactors and Pickering B has four operating reactors. Together, they emit 3,100 MW, enough to power a city of one and a half million people.
Darlington Generating Station (4 operating units)
This CANDU station generates 3,512 MW of energy through 4 reactors. Darlington provides about 20 per cent of Ontario’s electricity needs, enough to operate a city of 2 million. The reactor uses heat created by nuclear fission using natural uranium fuel. The heat is transported via a separate heavy water transport system into boilers with ordinary boiled water. The steam is used to drive the turbine generator that produces electricity. It is then fed into transmission lines that carry the power to the residential, commercial and industrial areas. Darlington proudly produces no smog emissions.
Bruce Power (6 operating units, 2 being refurbished)
Bruce Power has 2,300 acres that house Bruce A and Bruce B generating stations that hold 8 CANDU reactors, 6 of which are operational. Bruce Power produces 4,700 MW of energy, enough to power every fifth hospital, home and school in Ontario. Bruce Power is also in the process of restarting the other 2 generators, which will provide an additional 1,500 MW of emission-free electricity.
