<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/ontario-utility-wants-to-double-the-asking-price-of-nuclear-while-us-wants-reactors-on-the-moon/>
"The main power utility in the Canadian province of Ontario has put in a
request to nearly double the price of payments its receives for nuclear power,
in order to cover the cost of maintenance, upgrades and new projects.
Ontario Power Generation has asked the local regulator – the Ontario Energy
Board – to increase the payments for nuclear power to $C207 a megawatt hour
($A222/MWh) from January, 2027, nearly double what it received ($C111.61/MWh)
in 2025.
Nuclear accounts for more than half of the generation in Ontario, which is
often held up by nuclear advocates as a shining light for Australia to follow,
but it faces massive expenses in coming years as it refurbishes its ageing
nuclear fleet, and embarks on a program to build four small modular reactors.
The first of these SMRS are expected to be delivered in the early 2030s, and
the total cost is currently put at more than $C21 billion. But more money,
nearly $C27 billion, is to be spent on refurbishing four existing reactors at
Pickering, and yet more on other nuclear upkeep costs.
The huge investment in nuclear is raising concerns among environmental groups
and also major energy users, which include steel makers and car companies such
as Ford and Toyota.
The Association of Major Power Consumers in Ontario, says its members are
facing “skyrocketing” electricity prices, including a 165 per cent rise in the
next three years.
AMPCO president Brad Duguid blames the rising cost of nuclear, and also the
heavy price of gas generation which is being used to fill the gap caused by the
refurbishment of the old nuclear plants, some of which are scheduled to be
offline for three years.
“Over the next seven to 10 years, we’re seeing significant increases in the
market energy rates to make up that difference,” he told the
Globe and Mail.
“We’re talking about increases in the range of 165 per cent for the market rate
over the next three years alone. That’s untenable. That’s an absolute threat to
the competitiveness of our industrial sector and the hundreds of thousands of
jobs it supports.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
