30 Jun (NucNet): The government of Ontario province in Canada has announced that it has suspended a programme to build two replacement nuclear reactor units planned for the Darlington site.
Deputy premier and minister of energy and infrastructure George Smitherman said the procurement process for the two Darlington units had been suspended because of concern about pricing and uncertainty regarding the future of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), which is owned by the Canadian federal government.
“Emission-free nuclear power remains a crucial aspect of Ontario’s supply mix,” Mr Smitherman said. “Unfortunately, the competitive bidding process has not provided Ontario with a suitable option at this time,” he added.
Proposals for the new units were received in February 2007 from Areva NP, AECL and Westinghouse Electric Company. Only the submission from AECL met the government’s objectives.
In May 2009, the federal government said it planned to seek buyers for AECL as part of an asset sale to reduce its record budget deficit.
In March 2008, Ontario undertook a two-phase competitive procurement process to choose a nuclear vendor to build a two-unit nuclear power plant at Darlington. The units are to replace older units as part of a strategy to renew Ontario’s nuclear fleet.
Nuclear power accounts for about 50 percent of Ontario’s electricity needs.
>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)
AECL Pulls Out Of UK Nuclear Reactor Assessment (News in Brief No. 41, 7 April 2008)
Canada’s Darlington Site Selected For Two New Units (News in Brief No. 71, 17 June 2008)
