One of four reactors at Ontario's Pickering nuclear power station began sending power to the province's electricity grid for the first time in eight years on Tuesday.
The refurbished Pickering A Unit 1 had been undergoing refurbishment. The last time it delivered power to the Ontario consumer was in December, 1997.
“This has been a complex management and construction challenge encompassing more than 1.9 million hours of work, 40,000 tasks and 3,000 people at its peak,” project manager Bill Robinson said.
Ontario Power Generation synchronized the unit to the electricity grid on Tuesday, sending power to the consumer for the first time since 1997. The unit is expected to be ready for commercial service within “a few weeks,” OPG said.
Major construction on the project started last July and lasted nearly 12 months. Cost estimates at the end of August totalled $995.2-million.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has hinted that his government is considering building new nuclear reactors to help address the province's energy crunch and has asked the Ontario Power Authority to prepare a 20-year plan to meet Ontario's soaring electricity needs.
