Pickering Nuclear Generating Station: Difference between revisions
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OPG will proceed with a detailed planning phase for the mid-life refurbishment of the [[Darlington Nuclear Generating Station]] east of [[Toronto]], with construction expected to start in 2016. The business decision to move forward with an investment in Darlington came after initial studies on the plant’s condition operating performance returned positive results. The next phase of the process will include an Environmental Assessment, an Integrated Safety Review and an Integrated Improvement Plan that will define the scope, cost and schedule of the refurbishment project.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.opg.com/news/releases/100211%20Nuclear%20Investment%20Strategy.asp | title = Pickering B to Enter Final Decade of Operation with $300-Million Investment | publisher = OPG | year = 2010 |
OPG will proceed with a detailed planning phase for the mid-life refurbishment of the [[Darlington Nuclear Generating Station]] east of [[Toronto]], with construction expected to start in 2016. The business decision to move forward with an investment in Darlington came after initial studies on the plant’s condition operating performance returned positive results. The next phase of the process will include an Environmental Assessment, an Integrated Safety Review and an Integrated Improvement Plan that will define the scope, cost and schedule of the refurbishment project.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.opg.com/news/releases/100211%20Nuclear%20Investment%20Strategy.asp | title = Pickering B to Enter Final Decade of Operation with $300-Million Investment | publisher = OPG | year = 2010 |
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==Leak== |
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On Monday 14th March 2011, a leak occurred at 11:30 p.m. ET at the plant due to a pump seal failure. The Ontario Power Generation notified Canada's federal nuclear regulator concerning the release of 73,000 litres of demineralized water into Lake Ontario. |
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In a statement the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission said, “The radiological risk to the environment and people's health is negligible.” <ref name="Pickering nuclear plant reports water leak">[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2011/03/16/pickering-nuclear-leak.html], Pickering nuclear plant reports water leak - CBC News 2011-03-16.</ref> |
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The leak gain little press coverage as it occurred as the world was watching an [[Fukushima I nuclear accidents|unfolding nuclear crisis]] at the [[Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant]] in Japan which was severely damaged in the [[2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami]]. |
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==Trivia== |
==Trivia== |
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Revision as of 12:17, 29 March 2011
| Pickering Nuclear Generating Station | |
|---|---|
 A unit at the Pickering plant | |
 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Coordinates | 43°48′42″N 79°03′57″W / 43.8117°N 79.0658°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1966-1986 |
| Commission date |
|
| Owner(s) | Ontario Power Generation (OPG) |
| Operator(s) | |
| Power generation | |
| Nameplate capacity |
|
| External links | |
| Website | http://www.opg.com/power/nuclear/pickering/ |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
Pickering Nuclear Generating Station is a Canadian nuclear power station located on the north shore of Lake Ontario in Pickering, Ontario. The facility derives its name from the City (originally Township) of Pickering in which it is located.
Co-located at the Pickering station is a single 1.8 MWe wind turbine named the OPG 7 commemorative turbine.
Reactor Classification
The reactors can be classified as follows:
PICKERING A
- PICKERING A 1
- PICKERING A 2 (Dormant)
- PICKERING A 3 (Dormant)
- PICKERING A 4
PICKERING B
- PICKERING B 5
- PICKERING B 6
- PICKERING B 7
- PICKERING B 8
Construction
 |
The facility was constructed in stages between 1966-1986 by the provincial Crown corporation, Ontario Hydro. In April 1999 Ontario Hydro was split into 5 component Crown corporations with Ontario Power Generation (OPG) taking over all electrical generating stations and which continues to operate the Pickering station.
The Pickering station is one of the largest nuclear facilities in the world and comprises 8 CANDU nuclear reactors located on the northern shore of Lake Ontario, having a total output of 4124 MW (capacity net) and 4336 MW (gross net) when all units are online. Pickering is only surpassed in Canada by the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station, which while also having 8 reactors, has a greater output. The facility is connected to the North American power grid via numerous 230,000 and 500,000 volt transmission lines.
The facility is operated as two distinct stations, Pickering A (Units 1 to 4) and Pickering B (Units 5 to 8). While primarily administrative in nature, the division is not wholly artificial, as there are some distinct differences in design between the two groups of stations. (Example: The Pickering A units employ moderator dump as a shutdown mechanism, a feature not found in Pickering B.) There are, however, a number of systems and structures in common between the two stations; the most notable of these is possibly the shared vacuum building, a negative pressure containment system.
Partial shutdown
On December 31, 1997 the four Pickering A reactors were shut down by a federal regulator, the Atomic Energy Control Board, because of Ontario Hydro's failure to upgrade the emergency shutdown systems at the station.[1] Ontario Hydro committed to restarting the units, but the project underwent long delays and large cost over-runs.
Premier Mike Harris asked former federal energy Minister Jake Epp to study and make recommendations on the problems with the Pickering restart. Mr. Epp acknowledged the large cost over-runs and delays attributing blame to bad management. The Epp Review estimated the cost of restarting the remaining reactors at $3 – 4 billion and supported the continuation of the project.
Upon election in 2003 the government of Dalton McGuinty was not immediately prepared to proceed with the restart of Pickering A. On December 16, 2003 the McGuinty government tasked the Ontario Power Generation Review Committee with reviewing the structure of Ontario Power Generation and the restart of the Pickering A reactors. The Committee included former federal finance Minister John Manley as chair as well as Peter Godsoe, a former CEO of Scotiabank, and Jake Epp.
On March 18, 2004 the OPG Review Committee released its report, attributing the blame for cost over-runs to bad management. The report recommended proceeding with the restart of the Pickering “A” reactors, bringing unit 1, 2, and 3 online sequentially. The report suggested that the restart of units 2 and 3 should be contingent as to whether “OPG will be able to succeed at the Unit 1 project.”[2]
The Sierra Club of Canada criticized the report for not attributing any blame to the problems of nuclear technology, noting that there were no energy or environmental experts appointed to the panel.[3]
Numerous changes in executive-level staff and project management strategy were made for the follow-on project to refurbish Unit 1. The experience of refurbishing Pickering A Unit 1 was significantly different from Unit 4, 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.
In August 2005, the OPG Board of Directors announced that Units 2 and 3 would not be refurbished due to specific technical and cost risks surrounding the material condition of these two units.
Waste
The radioactive waste generated by the plant sits at the Pickering Waste Management Facility. Ontario has proposed the construction and operation of a Deep Geologic Repository in Kincardine, Ontario for the long-term storage of low and intermediate level nuclear waste on lands adjacent to the Western Waste Management Facility in Kincardine, Ontario.
Future
Ontario Power Generation (OPG) announced a two-part investment strategy for its nuclear generating stations in Durham Region. The strategy includes the decision to spend $300-million to keep the Pickering B nuclear station open for another decade before it begins the longer term decommissioning process as refurbishment for Pickering B station will not be pursued. The first step in this process is to layup the reactors and place them into safe storage. Pickering staff will have future opportunities placing the Pickering units in a safe storage state, at the Darlington refurbishment and operations, or at the potential new build at Darlington.
OPG will proceed with a detailed planning phase for the mid-life refurbishment of the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station east of Toronto, with construction expected to start in 2016. The business decision to move forward with an investment in Darlington came after initial studies on the plant’s condition operating performance returned positive results. The next phase of the process will include an Environmental Assessment, an Integrated Safety Review and an Integrated Improvement Plan that will define the scope, cost and schedule of the refurbishment project.[4]
Leak
On Monday 14th March 2011, a leak occurred at 11:30 p.m. ET at the plant due to a pump seal failure. The Ontario Power Generation notified Canada's federal nuclear regulator concerning the release of 73,000 litres of demineralized water into Lake Ontario.
In a statement the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission said, “The radiological risk to the environment and people's health is negligible.” [5]
The leak gain little press coverage as it occurred as the world was watching an unfolding nuclear crisis at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant in Japan which was severely damaged in the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
Trivia
In 1994 Pickering Unit 7 set a world record for continuous operation (894 days) without a shutdown. [6] [7]
See also
- List of Canadian nuclear generating stations
- Fitzpatrick Nuclear Generating Station
- Nine Mile Point Nuclear Generating Station
References
- ^ Atomic Energy Control Board, Canadian National Report for the Convention on Nuclear Safety, Ottawa, September 1998.
- ^ Ontario Power Generation Review Committee, Transforming Ontario’s Power Generation Company, March 2004, p. 47
- ^ "The Sierra Club info". Sierra Club Canada.
- ^ "Pickering B to Enter Final Decade of Operation with $300-Million Investment". OPG. 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-22.
- ^ [1], Pickering nuclear plant reports water leak - CBC News 2011-03-16.
- ^ "CANDU Reactors". CANDU Owners Group inc.
- ^ "Canada's Nuclear History". AECL.
External links
