Bruce Power is pushing ahead with plans to create new nuclear generating capacity at its site.

The agency announced on October 20 that it had notified the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) and the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) of its intent to launch an impact assessment for potential new nuclear generation.

If the plan comes to fruition, a new Bruce C generating station would add about 4,800 megawatts nuclear generating capacity.

“The company is advancing this process in a proactive, open and transparent manner in order to engage Indigenous peoples, our communities and the public early in the process as a planning tool to meet Ontario’s long-term energy needs,” said James Scongack, Bruce Power’s Chief Development Officer and Executive Vice-President of Operational Services.

Bruce Power will incorporate feedback from these early engagement activities into an Initial Project Description, which is scheduled to go to the IAAC early next year.

“Canada is at an important juncture. We will only be able to reverse the effects of climate change, advance a net zero future and grow our economy through investment in long-term clean electricity infrastructure,” said Scongack.  “We will achieve this by engaging people and conducting pre-development activities now so we can increase the certainty around supply options, learning from past challenges with large infrastructure projects for a better future.”

The Bruce Power site was home to one of the largest greenhouse gas reduction initiatives in the world when the company returned the Bruce A units to service. This led to 70 percent of the energy needed to phase-out the use of coal in Ontario.

In July, the Ontario government announced its long-term electricity framework for the province, the goals of which is to meet future electricity demand, grow the economy and achieve net zero emissions.

A key element of that plan was to start pre-development work for additional generation options on the Bruce Power site.

Bruce Power currently produces 30 percent of Ontario’s electricity on fewer than 1,000 hectares of land—with space for incremental infrastructure development.