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78-403: Ontario Power Generation Inc. ( OPG ) is a Crown corporation and "government business enterprise" that is responsible for approximately half of 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 ,

156-557: 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

234-764: A Senate hearing the Yucca Mountain site is no longer viewed as an option for storing reactor waste. In June 2018, the Trump administration and some members of Congress again began proposing using Yucca Mountain, with senators from Nevada raising opposition. In February 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted about a potential change of policy on plans to use Yucca Mountain in Nevada as a repository for nuclear waste. Trump's previous budgets have included funding for Yucca Mountain but, according to Nuclear Engineering International, two senior administration officials said that

312-472: 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

390-531: 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 the existing Darlington Energy Complex. The decision was made to retrofit the empty building for economic and sustainability reasons. Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster issued

468-427: 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

546-644: A facility in Australia unlikely. Giant Mine has been used as a deep repository for storage of highly toxic arsenic waste in the form of powder. As of 2020 there is ongoing research to reprocess the waste into a frozen block form which is more chemically stable and prevents water contamination. The Onkalo site in Finland based on the KBS-3 technology, is the furthest along the road to becoming operational among repositories worldwide. Posiva started construction of

624-612: A fully privatized company. The first Crown corporation was the Board of Works, established in 1841 by the Province of Canada to construct shipping canals. The first major Canadian experience with directly state-owned enterprises came during the early growth of the railways . The first Canadian Crown corporation after confederation was the Canadian National Railway Company , created in 1922. During

702-799: A licence for the Andrews County CISF in September 2021. A group including the State of Texas petitioned for a court review of the licence. In August 2023, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that the NRC does not have the authority from Congress to license such a temporary storage facility that is not at a nuclear power station or federal site, nullifying the purported license. The other New Mexico CISF

780-603: A license application to the NRC for an autonomous consolidated interim storage facility (CISF) in southeastern New Mexico in March 2017. Similarly, Interim Storage Partners is also planning to build and operate a CISF in Andrews County , Texas . Meanwhile, other companies have indicated that they are prepared to bid on an anticipated procurement from the DOE to design a facility for interim storage of nuclear waste. The NRC issued

858-546: A mandate (by royal charter) to govern a specific territory called a charter colony , and the head of this colony, called a proprietary governor , was both a business manager and the governing authority in the area. The first colonies on the island of Newfoundland were founded in this manner, between 1610 and 1728. Canada's most famous and influential chartered company was the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), founded on May 2, 1670, by royal charter of King Charles II . The HBC became

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936-478: 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

1014-509: A mixture of commercial and public-policy objectives. They are directly and wholly owned by the Crown (i.e. the government of Canada or a province). Crown corporations represent a specific form of state-owned enterprise . Each corporation is ultimately accountable to (federal or provincial) Parliament through a relevant minister for the conduct of its affairs. They are established by an Act of Parliament and report to that body via

1092-561: A relevant minister for the conduct of its affairs. Although these corporations are owned by the Crown, they are operated with much greater managerial autonomy than government departments. While they report to Parliament via the relevant minister in Cabinet , they are "shielded from constant government intervention and legislative oversight" and thus "generally enjoy greater freedom from direct political control than government departments." Direct control over operations are only exerted over

1170-685: 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

1248-455: A site selection process. RWM continues to have discussions in a range of places across England with people and organisations who are interested in exploring the benefits of hosting a GDF. More Working Groups are anticipated to form across the country in the next year or two. Any proposal for a GDF will be evaluated against highly rigorous criteria [6] to ensure all safety and security tests are met. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in

1326-574: 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 the electricity in Ontario or 74.0 terawatt hours (TWh). Roughly 60 percent of Ontario's electricity

1404-545: A symbol of modern Quebec, helping to create the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s where French-speakers in Quebec rose to positions of influence in the industrial economy for the first time, and Quebec nationalism emerged as a political force. This model followed by SaskPower in 1944 and BC Hydro in 1961. Other areas provinces were active in included insurance ( Saskatchewan Government Insurance , 1945) In Alberta,

1482-514: Is a natural deposit of highly concentrated uranium ore located under sandstone and a quartz layer at a depth of 450 m, that is 1 billion years old with no radioactive leaks to the surface. The ability of natural geologic barriers to isolate radioactive waste is demonstrated by the natural nuclear fission reactors at Oklo , Gabon. During their long reaction period about 5.4 tonnes of fission products as well as 1.5 tonnes of plutonium together with other transuranic elements were generated in

1560-399: Is a type of long-term storage that isolates waste in geological structures that are expected to be stable for millions of years, with a number of natural and engineered barriers. Natural barriers include water-impermeable (e.g. clay) and gas-impermeable (e.g. salt) layers of rock above and surrounding the underground storage. Engineered barriers include bentonite clay and cement. In 2011,

1638-665: 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 the $ 1.12 billion purchase of Cube Hydro, which includes 19 hydroelectric power plants in New York , Pennsylvania , Virginia , West Virginia and North Carolina . Crown corporations of Canada Crown corporations ( French : Société de la Couronne ) are government organizations in Canada with

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1716-402: Is diverted to weapon use. There is general agreement that placing spent nuclear fuel in repositories hundreds of meters below the surface would be safer than indefinite storage of spent fuel on the surface [of the earth]. Common elements of repositories include the radioactive waste, the containers enclosing the waste, other engineered barriers or seals around the containers, the tunnels housing

1794-986: Is established or operated by the King in Right of Ontario or the Government of Ontario , or under the authority of the Legislature or the Lieutenant Governor -in-Council. Finances Quebec published a list 60 Quebec Crown corporations ( French : sociétés d'État ) in June 2017. The following entities were among those listed: Several private Canadian companies were once Crown corporations, while others have gone defunct. Deep geological repository Highly toxic waste that cannot be further recycled must be stored in isolation, to avoid contamination of air, ground and underground water. Deep geological repository

1872-621: Is little debate in Germany regarding toxic waste, in spite of the fact that unlike nuclear waste, it does not lose toxicity with time. There is a debate about the search for a final repository for radioactive waste, accompanied by protests, especially in the Gorleben village in the Wendland area, which was seen as ideal for the final repository until 1990 because of its location in a remote, economically depressed corner of West Germany, next to

1950-558: Is similarly being challenged in the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit . Deep Isolation, a corporation based in Berkeley, California, proposed a solution involving horizontal storage of radioactive waste canisters in directional boreholes, using technology developed for oil and gas mining. An 18" borehole can be directed vertically to the depth of several thousand feet in geologically stable formations, and then

2028-625: 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 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

2106-491: Is under way in several countries, with the first expected to be commissioned some time after 2010. There was a proposal in the early 2000s for an international high level waste repository in Australia and Russia . Since the proposal for a global repository in Australia, which has never produced nuclear power, and has one research reactor, was raised, domestic political objections have been loud and sustained, making such

2184-476: The International Panel on Fissile Materials said: It is widely accepted that spent nuclear fuel and high-level reprocessing and plutonium wastes require well-designed storage for periods ranging from tens of thousands to a million years, to minimize releases of the contained radioactivity into the environment. Safeguards are also required to ensure that neither plutonium nor highly enriched uranium

2262-734: 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

2340-515: 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,

2418-734: The United States went into service in 1999 by putting the first cubic metres of transuranic radioactive waste in a deep layer of salt near Carlsbad, New Mexico . In 1978, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) began studying Yucca Mountain , within the secure boundaries of the Nevada Test Site in Nye County, Nevada , to determine whether it would be suitable for a long-term geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. This project faced significant opposition and suffered delays due to litigation by

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2496-629: The Agency for Nuclear Projects for the State of Nevada (Nuclear Waste Project Office) and others. The Obama administration rejected use of the site in the 2009 United States Federal Budget proposal, which eliminated all funding except that needed to answer inquiries from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), "while the Administration devises a new strategy toward nuclear waste disposal." In March 2009, Energy Secretary Steven Chu told

2574-653: 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

2652-500: The East to create Canadian National Railways (CNR) in 1918 as a transcontinental system . The CNR was unique in that it was a conglomerate , and besides passenger and freight rail, it had inherited major business interests in shipping, hotels, and telegraphy and was able create new lines of business in broadcasting and air travel. Many of the components of this business empire were later spun off into new Crown corporations including some

2730-698: 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 the strong technical safety case, the Minister requested OPG provide further information. OPG has committed to provide the requested studies and additional information by

2808-614: The actions of these organizations. The Crown is not liable for Crown corporations with non-agent status, except for actions of that corporation carried out on instruction from the government, though there may be "moral obligations" on the part of the Crown in other circumstances. Crown corporations are generally formed to fill a need that the federal or provincial government deems in the national interest or not profitable for private industry. Some Crown corporations are expected to be profitable organizations, while others are non-commercial and rely entirely on public funds to operate. Prior to

2886-422: 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 was upgraded. In July 2006, Liberal Energy Minister Dwight Duncan described OPG's turnaround as "[o]ne of

2964-566: The closed border to the former East Germany . After reunification, the village is now close to the center of Germany, and is now used for temporary storage of nuclear waste. The pit Asse II is a former salt mine in the mountain range of Asse in Lower Saxony / Germany , that was allegedly used as a research mine since 1965. Between 1967 and 1978, radioactive waste was placed in storage. Research indicated that brine contaminated with radioactive caesium-137 , plutonium and strontium

3042-599: The construction of the Intercolonial Railway between them was one of the terms of the new constitution. The first section of this entirely government-owned railway was completed in 1872. Western Canada 's early railways were all run by privately owned companies backed by government subsidies and loans. By the early twentieth century, however, many of these had become bankrupt . The federal government nationalised several failing Western railways and combined them with its existing Intercolonial and other line in

3120-611: The containers, and the geologic makeup of the surrounding area. A storage space hundreds of metres below the ground needs to withstand the effects of one or more future glaciations , with thick ice sheets resting on top of the rock. The presence of ice sheets affects the hydrostatic pressure at repository depth, groundwater flow and chemistry, and the potential for earthquakes. This is being taken into consideration by organizations preparing for long-term waste repositories in Sweden, Finland, Canada and some other countries that have to assess

3198-401: The corporation's budget and the appointment of its senior leadership through Orders-in-Council . Further, in the federal sphere, certain Crown corporations can be an agent or non-agent of the Crown. One with agent status is entitled to the same constitutional prerogatives, privileges, and immunities held by the Crown and can bind the Crown by its acts. The Crown is thus entirely responsible for

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3276-552: The earlier part of the century, many British North American colonies that now comprise the Canadian federation had Crown corporations, often in the form of railways, such as the Nova Scotia Railway , since there was limited private capital available for such endeavours. When three British colonies joined to create the Canadian federation in 1867, these railways were transferred to the new central government. As well,

3354-477: The effects of future glaciations. Despite a long-standing agreement among many experts that geological disposal can be safe, technologically feasible and environmentally sound, a large part of the general public in many countries remains skeptical as a result of anti-nuclear campaigns . One of the challenges facing the supporters of these efforts is to demonstrate confidently that a repository will contain wastes for so long that any releases that might take place in

3432-719: 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

3510-476: 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 the high capital cost estimates and energy surplus in the province at the time of the announcement. In January 2016,

3588-591: The excesses of the previous open market which had led to calls for prohibition in the first place. Virtually all the provinces used this system at one point. The largest of these government liquor businesses, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (founded 1927), was by 2008 one of the world's largest alcohol retailers. Resource and utility crown corporations also emerged at this time, notably Ontario Hydro and Alberta Government Telephones in 1906, and SaskTel in 1908. Provincial governments also re-entered

3666-418: The federal government. In Canada, Crown corporations within either the federal or provincial level are owned by the Crown as the institution's sole legal shareholder . This follows the legal premise that the monarch , as the personification of Canada , owns all state property. Established by an Act of Parliament , each corporation is ultimately accountable to (federal or provincial) Parliament through

3744-414: The federal level. Not only the federal government was involved, but also the provinces, who were in engaged in an era of " province building " (expanding the reach and importance of the provincial governments) around this time. The prototypical example is Hydro-Québec , founded in 1944 and now Canada's largest electricity generator and the world's largest producer of hydro-electricity. It is widely seen as

3822-551: The formation of Crown corporations as presently understood, much of what later became Canada was settled and governed by a similar type of entity called a chartered company . These companies were established by a royal charter by the Scottish , English , or French crown, but were owned by private investors. They fulfilled the dual roles of promoting government policy abroad and making a return for shareholders. Certain companies were mainly trading businesses, but some were given

3900-486: The future will pose no significant health or environmental risk. Nuclear reprocessing does not eliminate the need for a repository, but reduces the volume, the long-term radiation hazard, and long-term heat dissipation capacity needed. Reprocessing does not eliminate the political and community challenges to repository siting. Natural uranium ore deposits serve as proof of concept for stability of radioactive elements in geological formations— Cigar Lake Mine for example

3978-484: 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

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4056-467: 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 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

4134-470: The latest spending blueprint will not include any money for licensing the project. On February 7, Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette echoed Trump's sentiment and stated that the U.S. administration may investigate other types of [nuclear] storage, such as interim or temporary sites in other parts of the country. Though no formal plan had solidified from the federal government, the private sector moved forward with their own plans. Holtec International submitted

4212-515: The long term and ensuring a GDF supports local interests and priorities. The policy is emphatic in requiring the consent of the people who would be living alongside a GDF and giving them influence over the pace at which discussions progress. The first Working Groups were established in Copeland [4] and Allerdale [5] in Cumbria during late 2020 and early 2021. These Working Groups have started

4290-482: The mid-century. The federal Post Office Department became a Crown corporation as Canada Post Corporation in 1981, and Canada's export credit agency , Export Development Canada , was created in 1985. Perhaps the most controversial was Petro-Canada , Canada's short-lived attempt to create a national oil Crown corporation , founded in 1975. The heyday of Crown corporations ended in the late 1980s, and there has been much privatisation since that time, particularly at

4368-500: The most important businesses in the mid-20th-century economy of Canada, such Air Canada , the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Via Rail , and Marine Atlantic . Provincial Crown corporations also re-emerged in the early 20th century, most notably in the selling of alcohol. Government monopoly liquor stores were seen as a compromise between the recently ended era of Prohibition in Canada and

4446-527: 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 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,

4524-431: The process of obtaining consent for hosting a GDF in their areas. These Working Groups are believed to be a critical step in the process to find a willing community and a suitable, feasible and acceptable site for a GDF. Allerdale withdrew from the process to select a deep waste repository site in 2023. NWS explained this decision in terms of there being insufficient extent of potentially suitable geology in which to undertake

4602-748: 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

4680-461: 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, 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

4758-508: The public that otherwise would not be economically viable as a private enterprise or that do not fit exactly within the scope of any ministry. They are involved in everything from the distribution, use, and price of certain goods and services to energy development, resource extraction, public transportation, cultural promotion, and property management . As of 2022 , there were 47 federal Crown corporations in Canada. Provinces and territories operate their own Crown corporations independently of

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4836-494: The railway business as in Northern Alberta Railways in 1925 and what later became BC Rail in 1918. A notable anomaly of this era is Canada's only provincially owned "bank" (though not called that for legal reasons) Alberta Treasury Branches , created in 1937. The Bank of Canada , originally privately owned, became a Crown corporation in 1938. New crown Corporations were also created throughout much of

4914-556: The relevant minister in Cabinet , though they are "shielded from constant government intervention and legislative oversight" and thus "generally enjoy greater freedom from direct political control than government departments." Crown corporations are distinct from "departmental corporations" such as the Canada Revenue Agency . Crown corporations have a long-standing presence in the country and have been instrumental in its formation. They can provide services required by

4992-592: 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

5070-475: The site in 2004. The Finnish government issued the company a licence for constructing the final disposal facility in November 2015. As of June 2019 , continuous delays mean that Posiva expects operations to begin in 2023. A number of repositories including potash mines in Herfa-Neurode and Zielitz have been used for years for the storage of highly toxic mercury , cyanide and arsenic waste. There

5148-549: The term public agency is used to describe "boards, commissions, tribunals or other organizations established by government, but not part of a government department." Crown corporations in Manitoba are supported by Manitoba Crown Services . Crown corporations in Ontario are referred to as Crown agencies . A Crown agency includes any board, commission, railway, public utility, university, factory, company or agency that

5226-703: 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 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

5304-450: The upper levels. Approval was granted in January 2022 for the construction of a direct disposal facility using KBS-3 technology, on the site of the Forsmark nuclear power plant . The UK Government, in common with many other countries and supported by scientific advice, has identified permanent deep underground disposal as the most appropriate means of disposing of higher activity radioactive waste. Radioactive Waste Management (RWM) [1]

5382-698: The uranium ore body. This plutonium and the other transuranics remained immobile until the present day, a span of almost 2 billion years. This is remarkable as ground water had ready access to the deposits and they were not in a chemically inert form, such as glass. Deep geologic disposal has been studied for several decades, including laboratory tests, exploratory boreholes , and the construction and operation of underground research laboratories where large-scale in-situ tests are being conducted. Major underground test facilities are listed below. Cigéo ( Centre Industriel de Stockage Géologique ) Bure, Meuse The process of selecting appropriate deep final repositories

5460-454: The world's largest land owner, at one point overseeing 7,770,000 km (3,000,000 sq mi), territories that today incorporate the provinces of Manitoba , Saskatchewan and Alberta , as well as Nunavut , the Northwest Territories , and Yukon . The HBC were often the point of first contact between the colonial government and First Nations . By the late 19th century, however, the HBC lost its monopoly over Rupert's Land and became

5538-425: 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 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

5616-519: 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

5694-690: Was established in 2014 to deliver a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) and is a subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) [2] which is responsible for clean-up of the UK's historical nuclear sites. In 2022, Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) formed from the merger of RWM with the Low Level Waste Repository in Cumbria. A GDF will be delivered through a community consent-based process [3] , working in close partnership with communities, building trust for

5772-541: Was leaking from the mine since 1988 but was not reported until June 2008. The repository for radioactive waste Morsleben is a deep geological repository for radioactive waste in the rock salt mine Bartensleben in Morsleben , in Saxony-Anhalt / Germany , that was used from 1972 to 1998. Since 2003, 480,000 m (630,000 cu yd) of salt-concrete has been pumped into the pit to temporarily stabilize

5850-705: 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 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

5928-419: 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 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

6006-576: 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 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

6084-517: 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

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