Ontario Power Generation is over 2 years behind schedule on refurbishing its nuclear reactors. It is doubtful whether the project will be effective.
The Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB) said Ontario Power believed it met many of the performance objectives for its nuclear improvement plan. The Board stated that it: "Found many gaps despite the stated completion of the reactor plan milestones. This casts doubt on the ultimate effectiveness of the programme."
Ontario Power has said that it accepts the assessment that additional work must be done.
The AECB estimates that at the current rate of progress, Ontario Power will achieve final completion 2½ years after the first estimated completion time.
Ontario Power has also said that it will exceed its cap for discharges of NOx by about 33 per cent. It intends to buy pollution credits.
The utility was supposed to limit NOx emissions to 38 000 tonnes a year. John Fox, chief operating officer of Ontario Power, said that total emissions will be about 50 000 tonnes this year. He said the utility can't meet the cap because it plans to generate electricity from coal-fired plants to offset lost production from nuclear plants taken out of service for refurbishment.
Partly as a result, Ontario Power has bought emission rights to 2.5 million tons of CO2 from Zahren Alternative Power Corporation. The deal was valued at $25 million. Zahren burns methane from landfill gas. In the deal, Ontario Power bought the rights to the CO2 in exchange for 119 000 tons of methane.
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