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59-660: The International Control Dam , also known as the International Control Structure , operated by Ontario Power Generation , is a weir that controls the water diversions from the Niagara River and dispatches the water between the New York Power Authority and Ontario Power Generation in accordance with the terms of the 1950 Niagara Treaty. It was completed in 1954. To preserve Niagara Falls ' natural beauty and to ensure an "unbroken curtain of water"

118-548: A small modular reactor (SMR) at the Darlington new nuclear site, the only site in Canada currently licensed for a new nuclear build. The project is expected to be completed as early as 2028. OPG has made some investments in alternative electricity generation. By 2014, OPG had stopped burning coal to generate electricity. Thermal electricity-generating stations were traditionally coal-fired, creating problems caused by pollution. While

177-473: A complete scope analysis before starting on the project. Due to the uproar over the large cost overruns and delays, an independent review committee was commissioned to examine the future role of OPG in the electricity sector; the future structure of OPG; the appropriate corporate governance and senior management structure; and the potential refurbishing of Pickering A Units 1, 2, and 3. Former federal Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister John Manley chaired

236-429: A diverse fleet that includes 65 hydroelectric stations and two nuclear stations, OPG's power is more than 99 per cent free of smog and greenhouse gas emissions." Prior to shutting down its coal-fueled generating stations, OPG attracted considerable controversy for the operation of coal-fired generating stations, which ranked among Canada's largest individual air pollution sources. This was mostly because Nanticoke housed

295-671: A federal joint review panel (JRP), on 6 May 2015 the JRP issued the EA Report and recommended the approval of OPG's DGR to the federal government. In February 2016, the Federal Minister of the Environment and Climate Change delayed a decision on OPG's DGR, causing a pause in the timeline for the EA decision to be issued. While the JRP had recommended to the federal government the project move forward based on

354-466: A major designer and builder of new stations. As most of the readily developed hydroelectric sites became exploited, the corporation expanded into building coal -fired generation and then nuclear-powered facilities. Renamed as "Ontario Hydro" in 1974, by the 1990s it had become one of the largest, fully integrated electricity corporations in North America. The notion of generating electric power on

413-479: A massive 3,900 MW of generation capacity in one site: it produced "the most pollution in one site" despite being a reasonably clean plant per megawatt of power. Nanticoke Generating Station was North America's largest coal-fired generating station and the single largest air pollution source for southern Ontario and northern New York state, attracting considerable criticism from environmentalists and legislators in both jurisdictions. OPG's Lambton Generating Station

472-527: A new corporate campus would be built in Clarington , Ontario, that will also house Ontario Power Generation's headquarters. On 13 February 2023, OPG announced they completed a deal to purchase the former head office building for General Motors of Canada in Oshawa , Ontario, for their new headquarters, with plans to open in 2024. Original plans called for a new building to be constructed in Clarington , Ontario, at

531-652: A reliable, clean source of base load electricity during refurbishment of the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station and the initial Bruce Nuclear refurbishments. Any plan to extend Pickering's life requires approval from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). OPG is currently working on a licence application to the CNSC for approval in 2018. On 2 December 2021, OPG announced a partnership with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy to deploy

590-617: A similar reservoir on the US side behind the Robert Moses Power Plant . A trade-off exists between the two main industries of tourism and hydroelectric power. More water is diverted by the International Control Dam at night, between 10:00 pm and 7:00 am, filling the reservoirs overnight and allowing more water over Niagara Falls in the daytime hours for the tourists. As well, during the winter, from November 1 to March 31, when it

649-448: Is flowing over the falls, the 1950 treaty was signed by the U.S. and Canada to limit water usage by power plants. The treaty allows higher summertime diversion at night when tourists are fewer and during the winter months when there are even fewer tourists. The treaty states that during daylight time during the tourist season (April 1 to October 31), there must be 2,800 cubic metres per second (99,000 cu ft/s) of water flowing over

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708-501: Is not the tourism season, more water is diverted for electrical power during the whole 24 hour period. The pool of water located immediately upstream of the International Water Control Dam is named the "Chippawa – Grass Island pool". Ontario Power Generation Ontario Power Generation Inc. ( OPG ) is a Crown corporation and "government business enterprise" that is responsible for approximately half of

767-512: Is the president and chief executive officer of OPG. He was appointed to this position on 1 April 2019, when the previous president and CEO, Jeffrey J. Lyash, resigned. Other current members of the board include John Herron, Selma Lussenburg, Scott McDonald, Jill Pepall, Jim Reinsch, James Sheppard, Anju Virmani, Tracy Primeau and Mary Filipelli. The financial situation at Ontario Power Generation has improved significantly since 2003. Its profits for 2005 were $ 366 million, and its credit rating

826-511: The 1965 Eastern Seaboard Blackout . By the 1950s the commission was operating as a single integrated system. As demand rose in the post-war period, Ontario Hydro started expanding its generation system bringing on line many new hydroelectric stations. In 1953, Ontario Hydro began to interconnect with other utilities, the first interconnection being the Keith-Waterman line in Windsor which crosses

885-517: The Abitibi Canyon , the largest such development since the Niagara River , in preference to incurring more debt for Ontario Hydro. The development was encouraged through secret commitments for long-term purchases of electricity and indemnification of Hydro against any losses. Questions were asked at the time as to how the additional 100,000 horsepower (75,000 kW) in capacity would be used, as there were virtually no customers for it. When Abitibi

944-550: The Bruce Nuclear site , adjacent to its present Western Waste Management Facility. The repository would provide permanent storage of low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste produced from the operation of the Bruce, Pickering, and Darlington nuclear generating stations. In 2005, OPG initiated the regulatory approval process. Following a comprehensive environmental assessment (EA) process and two rounds of public hearings in front of

1003-520: The Detroit River to Detroit, Michigan interconnecting with Detroit Edison in the United States . This line was originally constructed at 120,000 volts and was later upgraded to 230,000 volts in 1973. Shortly thereafter, other interconnections with New York State were built. The first coal-fired generating stations in the system were also built in this period. The expansion of coal continued during

1062-698: The Nanticoke Generating Station , on Lake Erie in Haldimand County, Ontario, and the Lambton Generating Station were shut down, OPG did convert two other coal-fuelled power plants. Atikokan Generating Station in Atikokan , Ontario, was converted in 2012 to burning steam-treated wood pellets or "biomass" as OPG refers to it. "Biomass wood pellets are a sustainable fuel recognized as beneficial to climate change mitigation , as identified in

1121-511: The Niagara River was first entertained in 1888, when the Niagara Parks Commission solicited proposals for the construction of an electric scenic railway from Queenston to Chippawa . The Niagara Falls Park & River Railway was granted the privilege in 1892, and by 1900 it was using a dynamo of 200,000 horsepower (150,000 kW) which was the largest in Canada. Starting in 1899, several private syndicates sought privileges from

1180-505: The Northeast blackout of 2003 . The problem was that all but one of the reactors were tripped and allowed to poison out , preventing an early reconnection to the electricity grid . Once shut down, all nuclear reactors take several days to return to service. Another source of criticism was the extended and expensive refit to the reactor Unit 4 at the Pickering A Nuclear Station. In late 2003,

1239-465: The electricity generation in the province of Ontario , Canada. It is wholly owned by the government of Ontario . Sources of electricity include nuclear , hydroelectric , wind , gas and biomass . Although Ontario has an open electricity market , the provincial government, as OPG's sole shareholder, regulates the price the company receives for its electricity to be less than the market average, in an attempt to stabilize prices. Since 1 April 2008,

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1298-523: The largest nuclear generating station in the world in 2011 (and has remained the largest) by net electrical power rating, total reactor count, and number of operational reactors. The last nuclear plant to be built in Ontario, Darlington Nuclear Generating Station , was planned in the 1970s. Construction started in 1981, but because of a series of political decision to delay construction, construction took an inordinately long time. Costs continued to mount during

1357-790: The $ 1.12 billion purchase of Cube Hydro, which includes 19 hydroelectric power plants in New York , Pennsylvania , Virginia , West Virginia and North Carolina . Ontario Hydro Ontario Hydro , established in 1906 as the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario , was a publicly owned electricity utility in the Province of Ontario . It was formed to build transmission lines to supply municipal utilities with electricity generated by private companies already operating at Niagara Falls , and soon developed its own generation resources by buying private generation stations and becoming

1416-622: The 1930s (with the exception of the Hamilton Street Railway streetcar system, which continued until 1946). In the 1960s, HEPCO was the first utility in North America to utilize ultra-high voltage transmission lines. Planning for the UHV lines began in 1960 and in 1967, HEPCO put into service transmission lines carrying 500,000 volts that carry power from hydroelectric sources in remote Northern Ontario to high load areas in southern Ontario such as Toronto , London , and Ottawa . By 1970 all but

1475-579: The 1960s and 1970s but was overtaken by the development of nuclear power. In 1912, Adam Beck began to promote the creation and operation of electric interurban railways in the territory served by the commission, and the Legislative Assembly granted authority to do so in The Hydro-Electric Railway Act, 1914 . Changes in government policy and public sentiment in the 1920s restricted their development, and all such operations ceased in

1534-504: The 1960s and 1970s, Ontario Hydro's nuclear generating program expanded with the building of the first four units of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station followed by stations at Bruce Nuclear Generating Station and a second four units at Pickering. By the late 1980s, Ontario Hydro operated one of the largest fleets of nuclear-powered generating stations in the world. The Bruce Nuclear Generating Station became

1593-602: The American and Canadian power stations. Two tunnels on the American side take water under the city of Niagara Falls, New York , and three tunnels on the Canadian side divert water under the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario . Once past these cities, the water flows into two canals and then into two large reservoirs. Behind the Canadian Sir Adam Beck Power Station is a reservoir covering 300 hectares (740 acres) and

1652-626: The Biomass Sustainability Analysis Report by the Pembina Institute ", according to OPG. The company says that this generating station is "North America's largest 100 per cent biomass-fuelled power plant". Thunder Bay Generating Station in Thunder Bay , Ontario, was converted to using "advanced" biomass in 2014. "It is a solid biomass fuel ... has higher energy density and is hydrophobic (repels water) allowing it withstand

1711-589: The Independent Electricity Market Operator and the Electrical Safety Authority. On March 31, 1999, Ontario Hydro reported in its financial statements that it had long term debts of $ 26.2 billion and assets totalling $ 39.6 billion. The fair value of its assets was substantially less than the $ 39.6 billion reported in the 1999 financial statements and therefore, in order to ensure the successor entities were financially solvent,

1770-487: The Legislature that he was quitting his position as Commissioner because Hydro "was either inefficient or dishonest." He was forced to retract the allegation of dishonesty. In the 1970s, controversy arose relating to Hydro's expansion strategy, and several inquiries were held: In the 1980s there were large increases in the rates charged, arising from: In 1989, Ontario Hydro published a four-volume study, forecasting up to

1829-508: The Ontario Legislature to allow municipal councils to organize a cooperative to develop, transmit, buy and sell electrical energy. The provincial government of George William Ross refused to allow this, and it was only after its loss in the 1905 election that work began on creating a public utility. During that election campaign, James Pliny Whitney (who would become Premier) declared: The water power of Niagara should be as free as

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1888-509: The air. In May 1906, the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario ("Hydro" or "HEPCO") was formed and its first commissioners were Adam Beck , John S. Hendrie , and Cecil B. Smith, HEPCO was a unique hybrid of a government department, crown corporation and municipal cooperative that coexisted with the existing private companies. It was a "politically rational" rather than a "technically efficient" solution that depended on

1947-548: The commission for generating power for sale, including: By 1900, a total capacity of 400,000 horsepower (300,000 kW) was in development at Niagara, and concern was expressed as to whether such natural resources were being best exploited for the public welfare. In June 1902, an informal convention was held at Berlin , (now Kitchener) which commissioned a report by Daniel B. Detweiler, Elias W.B. Snider and F.S. Spence, who recommended in February 1903 that authority be sought from

2006-524: The commission was given authority to regulate all other electricity generators, thus bringing all private utilities in the province under its supervision. It also received authority to acquire any utility that was not producing at its capacity. In 1948, HEPCO changed most of its system from 25 Hz to 60 Hz. However, the Fort Erie area south of Niagara Falls stayed on the remaining 25 Hz generators until 1966, and this area had electricity throughout

2065-431: The commission's nickname. In many Canadian provinces, including Ontario, hydroelectric power is so common that "hydro" has become synonymous with electric power regardless of the actual source of the electricity. In the late 1950s, the corporation became involved in development, design and construction of CANDU nuclear power stations. In 1965, the first commercial sized station came on line at Douglas Point . During

2124-527: The company's rates have been regulated by the Ontario Energy Board . In June 2019, it was announced that a new corporate campus would be built in Clarington , Ontario, that will also house Ontario Power Generation's headquarters. In February 2023, it was announced that OPG would instead purchase the former head office building of General Motors Canada in Oshawa , Ontario, for their new headquarters, planning to open by 2024. Ontario Power Generation

2183-435: The delay and the plant was completed in 1993. This delay in the schedule caused the projected costs to increase tremendously, from an initial projected cost of $ 7.0 billion to $ 14.5 billion. The delay accounted for seventy percent of the cost increase. The quality of Hydro's management, given its size and scope of operations, had long been a concern. In 1922, Dougall Carmichael , then Minister without Portfolio , announced to

2242-399: The electricity in Ontario or 74.0 terawatt hours (TWh). Roughly 60 percent of Ontario's electricity is accounted for by three nuclear power plants: Pickering , Darlington and Bruce . No fatal accidents related to nuclear power have occurred in Ontario. Large Small Altogether there are 29 plants producing 127 MW of power. Defunct On 25 June 2019, Ontario Power announced

2301-684: The elements while being stored outside," according to OPG. In March 2016, OPG and partners SunEdison Canadian Construction LP and Six Nations Development Corporation were selected by the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) to develop the Nanticoke Solar Facility , a 44 megawatt (MW) solar farm on and near the Nanticoke Generating Station site on Lake Erie. The company is proud of its achievements in reducing pollution. "Now, together with

2360-582: The existing Darlington Energy Complex. The decision was made to retrofit the empty building for economic and sustainability reasons. Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster issued a statement, saying he was "deeply disappointed" with the decision not to build in Clarington. Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter welcomed the news, saying he was "thrilled to welcome" OPG to Oshawa. OPG owns and operates generating plants that draw from nuclear, hydro-electric, combined gas, biomass, solar and some wind. In 2018, it generated about half of

2419-548: The falls, and during the night and off-tourist season there must be 1,400 cubic metres per second (49,000 cu ft/s) of water flowing over the falls. This treaty is monitored by the International Niagara Board of Control, part of the International Joint Commission , using a NOAA gauging station above the falls. This weir allows water from the upper river to be diverted into the intakes for

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2478-459: The first city in Ontario to get hydroelectric power in long-distance transmission lines from Niagara Falls, on October 11, 1910. The commission's process of expansion was from municipality to municipality, generally in the following manner: During the 1920s, Hydro's network expanded significantly: In 1926, the Ferguson government gave its approval for Abitibi Power and Paper Company to develop

2537-770: The high capital cost estimates and energy surplus in the province at the time of the announcement. In January 2016, the province of Ontario approved plans to pursue continued operation of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station to 2024. OPG will work with the Ministry of Energy, the Independent Electricity System Operator and the Ontario Energy Board to pursue continued operation of the Pickering Station to 2024. All six units would operate until 2022; two units would then shut down and four units would operate to 2024. Extending Pickering's operation will ensure

2596-480: The incoming Liberal government fired the three most senior executives at OPG on the heels of a report that the retrofit of a single reactor at the Pickering nuclear plant had come in significantly over budget and three years behind schedule. The government also accepted the resignation of all remaining board members. Management underestimated the amount of work and complexity of the Unit 4 refurbishment project and failed to do

2655-428: The most remote municipal power systems in Ontario were organized into a single grid. During the 1970s and 1980s, Ontario Hydro gradually expanded the 500 kV transmission system into what it is today. Before its own nuclear power stations started coming onstream, Ontario Hydro had the following capacity and output: In 1974, the commission was reconstituted as a crown corporation known as Ontario Hydro, which had been

2714-536: The province and houses wildlife trails in the exclusion zones around its nuclear stations in Durham Region . The company's annual employee charity campaign has raised millions of dollars for charities across Ontario. In October 2008, OPG was named one of " Canada's Top 100 Employers " by Mediacorp Canada Inc., and was featured in Maclean's . Later that month, OPG was also named one of Greater Toronto's Top Employers , which

2773-493: The reorganization gave rise to $ 19.5 billion of stranded debt. The stranded debt was the shortfall between the fair value of Ontario Hydro's assets and the value of Ontario Hydro's total debt and other liabilities transferred to the new entities. Since 2002, the stranded debt is being paid down through a Debt Retirement Charge levied upon Ontario ratepayers. The Debt Retirement Charge is 0.7 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity consumed in Ontario. As of March 31, 2014,

2832-584: The review committee. Peter Godsoe , Chairman of the Bank of Nova Scotia, and Jake Epp , a former federal Cabinet Minister, Chair of the Pickering A Review Panel, and interim Chairman of OPG, also sat on the committee. The experience of refurbishing Pickering A Unit 1 was significantly different with a much tighter adherence to schedule and budget. Unit 1 was returned to service in November 2005 providing 542 MW of generating capacity for Ontario's electricity system. It

2891-575: The strong technical safety case, the Minister requested OPG provide further information. OPG has committed to provide the requested studies and additional information by the end of 2016. OPG has also begun the process of building up to four new nuclear units at the site of its Darlington Nuclear Generating Station but in October 2013, the province of Ontario declared that the Darlington new build project would not be part of Ontario's long-term energy plan, citing

2950-500: The two nuclear power plants that make up the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station on Lake Huron in western Ontario, which are operated by Bruce Power under a long-term lease. OPG also operates three facilities for the interim management of nuclear waste generated by OPG's 10 nuclear reactors and Bruce Power's eight nuclear reactors. The company is proposing to construct and operate a deep geologic repository (DGR) on

3009-603: The watershed election of 1905. On January 1, 1907, referendums in Toronto and 18 other municipalities approved the provisional contracts that their councils had concluded with HEPC, and subsequent referendums one year later authorized utility bond issues for the construction of local distribution systems. The victories in Toronto were in large part due to the leadership and commitment of Adam Beck's ally, William Peyton Hubbard . The first transmission lines began providing power to southwestern Ontario in 1910. Berlin (Kitchener) would be

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3068-840: The year 2014, entitled Providing the Balance of Power , with different scenarios attempting to address the need for additional facilities to replace aging electricity generation stations. This was derailed when electricity consumption declined due to the recession of the early 1990s. In 1998, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario passed the Energy Competition Act, 1998 , which: Ontario Hydro ceased operations on March 31, 1999. Its assets and functions were transferred by provincial statute to two commercial successor corporations, Ontario Power Generation Inc. and Ontario Hydro Services Company Inc., as well as to two not-for-profit agencies,

3127-763: Was announced by the Toronto Star . OPG regularly reports on its operational, safety and environmental record. The company publishes quarterly reports summarizing its performance in these areas. OPG purchased 9 million shares (1.5%) of former Crown corporation Hydro One , another Ontario Hydro successor company, in April 2016. OPG is the owner of four nuclear power plants . It directly operates Pickering Nuclear Generation Station in Pickering , Ontario and Darlington Nuclear Generating Station in Courtice , Ontario. OPG also owns

3186-514: Was decided that Pickering Units 2 and 3 would not be restarted as the business case could not be made. In early December 2015, Ontario's Auditor General pointed out that OPG was importing wood products from Europe to burn at the Thunder Bay station "pushing the cost of the electricity it generates to 25 times higher than other biomass generators", or $ 1,600 per MWh. Subsequently, Ontario's Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle stated that OPG

3245-508: Was established in April 1999 as part of plans by the Progressive Conservative government of Premier Mike Harris to privatize the assets of Ontario Hydro and deregulate the province's electricity market. OPG was one of the five successor corporations to Ontario Hydro and assumed ownership of all generating stations. Wendy Kei is the chair of the board of directors. She was appointed as chairman on 27 June 2019. Ken Hartwick

3304-455: Was placed in receivership in 1932, legislation was passed over the following years to allow Ontario Hydro to take control of several Abitibi power developments. Certain dealings relating to the 1933 acquisition came to be known as the "great Abitibi swindle," which resulted in the fall of the Henry government in the 1934 Ontario election , to be succeeded by that of Mitchell Hepburn . In 1939,

3363-400: Was seeking a local company to produce the biomass fuel. Considering the ever-increasing cost of electricity to Ontario consumers, the hiring of CEO Jeffrey Lyash in the summer of 2015 created some criticism when it was revealed that Lyash would earn $ 775,000 per annum and that could increase to $ 1.55 million with bonuses if performance targets are met. On 10 June 2019, it was announced that

3422-515: Was the second largest air polluter in the province. The Liberal government of Dalton McGuinty came to power in 2003 with a promise to phase out coal generation by 2007. However, for various operational and demand reasons this was not possible until 2014, when the last coal was burned in OPG's stations. The company also endured significant criticism concerning the slow return to operation of some of its nuclear generating stations which had been shut down by

3481-503: Was upgraded. In July 2006, Liberal Energy Minister Dwight Duncan described OPG's turnaround as "[o]ne of the untold stories of the last two years". On the local public relations side, OPG has won many awards for its performance as a "good corporate citizen". Most recently, OPG was named for the fourth year in a row to the Corporate Knights Top 50 Best Corporate Citizens in Canada. OPG regularly sponsors community events across

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