Statement by Keith Brooks, Programs Director at Environmental Defence
Toronto | Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – The Ontario government’s decision to explore large and small nuclear reactors at the former Nanticoke coal site pushes the province further down a very expensive nuclear-heavy pathway.
Ontario needs more electricity, but the province should not write a blank cheque for another costly nuclear power plant. Ontario’s current plan to refurbish the Pickering Generating Station and build new SMRs in Darlington is already very expensive and driving up electricity rates. The plan to build new nuclear at the Bruce site and in Wesleyville could cost $117 billion more than opting for renewables, according to analysis commissioned by Environmental Defence.
Adding yet another nuclear power project to the list will add even more costs and is irresponsible. It is essential for Ontario to keep electricity costs down to maintain competitiveness, protect households struggling with affordability, and to encourage the electrification of homes, vehicles and industry.
Ontario’s own energy auction confirmed that wind and solar are the cheapest sources of new electricity available to the province. Yet, the government plans to increase nuclear power to more than 70 per cent of the grid by 2050 while dramatically reducing renewable power generation. Nanticoke’s next chapter should expand affordable renewable power and storage—not lock ratepayers into another expensive, decades-long nuclear project.
Background
- Environmental Defence’s June 2026 report, The Real Costs of Ontario’s Nuclear Gamble, found that Ontario’s nuclear-expansion pathway would require $221 billion in capital investment by 2050, compared to $104 billion for a renewable energy alternative—a difference of $117 billion.
- By 2050, the nuclear-heavy pathway is projected to produce electricity at $143–$168/MWh, compared to $114/MWh under the renewable energy pathway. The nuclear pathway could add up to $456 a year to the average household’s electricity-generation costs.
- Under higher nuclear-cost assumptions, total capital requirements could rise to nearly $300 billion.
- Nanticoke is already a powerful symbol of Ontario’s clean-energy transition. Once home to the world’s largest coal-fired power station, the site now hosts a 44-megawatt solar facility developed in partnership with Six Nations of the Grand River and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.
– 30 –
For more information or to request an interview, please contact:
Tamara Latinovic, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca
