Canada Home to Billions’ Worth of Power Projects Under Construction
While hydropower is the largest source of electricity in Canada, the country is developing other forms of power generation. Industrial Info is tracking billions’ worth of Power Industry projects under construction in Canada, including a major hydro project and two projects aimed at boosting nuclear generation.
The most recent data from Statistics Canada, the Canada government's statistics arm, show hydropower accounted for 52% of the country’s total electricity in September; nuclear generation accounted for about 16% of the mix, while wind accounted for about 7%. Solar power accounted for a little more than 1%.
The highest-valued Power Industry project under construction being tracked by Industrial Info is BC Hydro’s (Vancouver, British Columbia) US$6.3 billion Site C Dam Project in Fort St. John, British Columbia (B.C). The six-unit, 1.1-gigawatt (GW) hydroelectric power station, on the Peace River in northeast B.C., is designed to provide about 5,100 gigawatt-hours of energy each year to the province's electricity grid. The first two generating units began operating in late October and December, and testing and commissioning work on the third unit is underway.
“With two generating units up and running, this increases BC Hydro’s ability to produce more reliable electricity for customers heading into winter when the demand for power is at its highest,” Adrian Dix, minister of energy and climate solutions, said in December while announcing the startup of the second unit. “By this time next year, we expect to have all six generating units at Site C providing electricity to British Columbians.” Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can click here to read a detailed project report.
The next two highest-valued projects are attributed to the buildout of nuclear power. Ontario Power Generation (OPG), which is wholly owned by the Ontario government, is at work refurbishing Unit 4 at the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station in Bowmanville, Ontario. The first of four units entered operation in 1990. The US$4.2 billion project entails refurbishing the 881-megawatt (MW) unit’s reactor and steam generators, among other work. In a December update, OPG said the project was 51% complete and progressing on schedule, with the unit expected to return to service by the end of 2026. Click here to read the project report.
OPG has submitted an application to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to renew the plant’s operating license, which expires on November 30, 2025, for a 30-year term. A public hearing will take place next year.
Meanwhile, Bruce Power is modernizing Unit 3 at the eight-unit, Bruce Nuclear Generating Station in Tiverton, Ontario. In an August update, Bruce Power said the reactor removal wrapped up ahead of schedule, after which replacement work on feeder tubes, fuel channels and calandria tubes would begin. The US$2.5 billion project is expected to be completed in 2026. Click here to read more information.
The project is part of the company’s larger effort--the Major Component Replacement (MCR) project--aimed at modernizing several units (3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8) in order to extend the Bruce Power site’s operational life to 2064.
Bruce Power in August said it was in the “final stages of preparation” for the Unit 4 project, which is scheduled to begin in 2025, while units 5, 7 and 8 are also slated for refurbishment over the next 10 years. Work on Unit 6 wrapped up in early January. Click here for a full list of related projects.
Canada is building out other sources of power generation, including renewable technologies such as wind power. The country’s largest onshore windfarm--Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners' (Copenhagen, Denmark) nearly US$1 billion Buffalo Plains Windfarm in Alberta--began delivering power in August. Full commercial operations at the 495-megawatt (MW) windfarm are expected by the end of the year. Click here to read the detailed project report.
Most of the wind projects being tracked by Industrial Info that are under construction in Canada are either in their late stages of construction or the final commissioning phase. For more information on wind-generation projects across the country, see November 1, 2024, article - Canada Home to $37 Billion Worth of Wind-Generation Projects.
The Canadian government has set a goal of renewable and non-emitting energy sources accounting for 90% of the country’s power generation. In October, Jonathan Wilkinson, the federal energy minister, announced the government put an additional C$500 million (US$361.1 million) in its Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways program (SREP) to finance renewable energy and grid modernization technologies.
Canada recapitalized the program with C$2.9 billion (US$2 billion) worth of financing in its 2023 budget. Total investment in the funding stream since its inception now totals C$4.5 billion (US$3.1 billion).
