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An environmental advocacy group is calling on the provincial government to release additional financial information about the Bruce Nuclear Refurbishment Project, saying more transparency is needed to support claims that the project is ahead of schedule and under budget.
The request follows a June announcement by Energy Minister Stephen Lecce, who said Bruce Power’s Unit 3 refurbishment was completed seven months ahead of schedule and below budget.
The Ontario Clean Air Alliance argues that the province has not released the original budget for Unit 3, the final refurbishment cost or an updated estimate for the overall Bruce Nuclear Refurbishment Project, making it impossible for the public to independently verify those claims.
Following publication of this story, Bruce Power said much of that information is already publicly available.
In a statement to BrightonToday.ca, the company said detailed information about its contract with the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), refurbishment costs and the price of power is available through Bruce Power’s Transparency Page and the IESO.
Bruce Power says the IESO verified and announced the Unit 3 refurbishment schedule in 2022, including a planned January 2027 return-to-service date. The company says Unit 3 was completed more than seven months ahead of that approved schedule and is expected to return approximately $150 million to Ontario ratepayers.
Bruce Power added that the IESO estimated the average price of electricity over the life of its contract at $77 per megawatt hour (2015 dollars) and said Bruce Power, not electricity ratepayers, assumes the refurbishment project’s cost and schedule risk, with any savings shared with ratepayers.
The Ontario Clean Air Alliance has called on the province to release updated project costs, the original and final Unit 3 refurbishment budgets and revised electricity price projections, arguing that Ontarians will ultimately pay for the project through their hydro bills.
The Ontario government has maintained that the Bruce Nuclear Refurbishment Project is ahead of schedule and under budget. Bruce Power says the information cited by the alliance is publicly available through existing transparency resources and the Independent Electricity System Operator.
(Written by: Branden Rushton)
