Antonella Artuso
Toronto Sun
June 14, 2006

The Ontario government is flicking the switch on a $46-billion electricity plan that will see refurbished and new nuclear reactors and continued coal-fired generation.

Seven Greenpeace anti-nuke activists wasted no time yesterday chaining themselves together in Energy Minister Dwight Duncan’s office. Just after 7 p.m. officials moved in to cut the locks of the protesters.

Duncan announced the overhaul of four existing units at Pickering B and the construction of one or two new reactors at an existing nuclear plant to be named later.

The four coal plants, which the Dalton McGuinty government promised to close by 2009, will stay open for an unspecified period and undergo emission-control improvements.

Duncan said his plan, which also calls for strong conservation measures, provides the best means of ensuring a stable and affordable supply of electricity.

Without action, the province will be short 10,000 megawatts by 2025, he said.

He acknowledged that this vision is not without controversy, especially the construction of new nuclear power, which many environmentalists have vowed to fight to the bitter end.

The costs of the plan, estimated at $72 billion, or $46 billion in today’s dollars, will be carried entirely by hydro ratepayers.

Energy Probe‘s Tom Adams said consumers can expect to see their rates increase by double-digit figures.