Bruce Power makes net zero commitment
Bruce Power is aiming for net zero.
The electricity company unveiled its Road Map to Net Zero plan on June 9 in which it sets out a variety of actions it will take to eliminate its net carbon emissions.
“Electricity generation is fundamentally linked to climate change and decarbonization, and nuclear is an integral part of our clean energy mix,” said James Scongack, Bruce Power’s Chief Development Officer and Executive Vice President, Operational Services. “We are investing in our nuclear fleet to continue to provide clean, reliable energy to Ontarians for decades to come, and our action plan leverages Ontario’s nuclear advantage to help achieve our climate targets.”
According to a 2022 report from GHD Limited, Ontario produced about 26 percent of Canada’s total electricity in 2019, while accounting for only six percent of the total emissions from electricity generation. Nuclear power provides 60 percent of Ontario’s daily energy needs.
Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator projects a need to increase electricity production in the province due to rising demand and reduced nuclear supply due to refurbishments and the planned end of commercial operations of the Pickering nuclear plant by 2025. There is also a risk that as a result of increased demand, the annual emissions from electricity generation in Ontario could increase by 120 per cent by 2030.
With the projected increase in emissions from electricity production over the next decade, a range of solutions are required to advance Ontario and Canada’s climate goals. Bruce Power’s Road Map to Net Zero document outlines those strategies the company will use to reach net zero.
They include completing the life-extension program and MCR project, which will secure the plant’s operation until 2064. Once the Life-Extension Project is completed in 2034, the output of the facility would result in the avoidance of 15 million metric tonnes of CO2e per year from carbon emitting sources.
They also include increasing power output to as much as 7,000 MW by the 2030s. The increase, says Bruce Power, is equivalent to adding a ninth unit to the Bruce Power site through optimization of existing assets, without the need to build new infrastructure. The avoided emissions from the initial phase of Project 2030, which will grow site output to 6,750 MWs, are estimated to remove almost 450,000 metric tonnes of CO2e annually, the equivalent of taking approximately 100,000 cars off the road.
Bruce Power also intends to issue as much as $500 million in green bonds. The company will invest in projects associated with Life Extension and increasing output of existing units. It also intends to invest in local clean and complementary technologies, including storage, carbon off-sets, renewables, hydrogen, and electrified transportation. These projects, it says, will maximize socio-economic and environmental benefits for the communities in which Bruce Power operates.
As a final option, Bruce Power will draw on its $1-million Carbon Offset Accelerator Fund to support grassroot clean energy initiatives in the region of Grey, Bruce and Huron counties. Bruce Power recently announced a partnership with ALUS Canada to work with local farmers and ranchers to advance nature-based projects on agricultural land.
“Bruce Power supplies 30 percent of Ontario’s electricity with carbon-free energy that supports a low grid intensity in Ontario,” said Danielle La Croix, Bruce Power’s Senior Director, Environment, Sustainability & Net Zero. “In addition, Bruce Power’s 2027 Net Zero Strategy will have measurable positive environmental impacts in our region and is a key pillar of our Road Map to advance climate change goals for Ontario and Canada.”