Province says Bruce Power project was completed ahead of schedule with 95 per cent of spending staying in Canada.
Ontario has rebuilt one of the reactors at southwestern Ontario’s giant Bruce nuclear plant ahead of schedule using a near-total Canadian supply chain.
Meanwhile, Premier Doug Ford is in Washington, D.C., this week trying to drum up support for deeper integration between the Canadian and U.S. economies.
Ford is on a two-day trip to the American capital, where he plans to meet with business leaders in industries critical to trade between Ontario and the U.S., as well as members of Congress and other American officials.
All of those meetings will be held behind closed doors, but in an op-ed published in The Financial Post, Ford said he will “launch our plan to build Fortress North America.”
“It is time to come together on a fair-trade agreement that will create more jobs, lower costs and strengthen our economic and continental security in the face of growing global competition, especially from China,” Ford said.
“Ontario supports millions of American jobs and plays a vital role in the strength and security of our shared economy. There is nowhere else in the world where two economies are so deeply integrated.”
But at a press conference on Monday, Ontario Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce celebrated how little U.S. involvement was required to refurbish an aging nuclear reactor at the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station, one of the world’s largest nuclear plants.
The project, which began in March 2023, was completed seven months ahead of schedule, saving $150 million in construction costs that will not have to be passed on to electricity ratepayers.
The refurbished reactor, which had been approaching the end of its lifespan, will now generate enough electricity to power 800,000 homes for the next 30 years.
Lecce highlighted the fact that 95 per cent of project spending stayed in Canada, saying there was no better “case study for a more deeply Canadian supply chain.”
“The alternative is often the technologies people procure will come from places like China, or maybe even the U.S. In this moment, I think we can agree that we want to build more here at home,” Lecce said.
“Our premier is in Washington, D.C., as we speak making the case for a strong, united, integrated economic supply chain . . . While he is in Washington, we are here today repatriating investment away from the U.S., adding value, creating jobs, giving hope to the people of Ontario.”
To drive the point home, the announcement was held at the workshop of Northern Transformer, one of the many Canadian vendors involved in the project.
The company supplied the electrical transformers for the new reactor, equipment that, according to Lecce, “were historically purchased from the United States.”
Northern Transformer CEO Alexei Miecznikowski said the success of the refurbishment is “a moment where we rediscover our belief in ourselves as Canadians and Ontarians.”
“Let’s face it; the nuclear industry has a terrible track record of meeting cost and timeline commitments. To the point where many say it’s too difficult or impossible to succeed. Well, in Ontario, we are changing that story,” Miecznikowski said.
“We are changing the story of the nuclear industry, and we are changing the story of Ontario. This is about regaining our self-belief, that we can set extraordinary goals and achieve them.”
Ford believes Ontario’s efforts to build a Canadian nuclear power supply chain will make his “Fortress North America” concept more attractive.
“Economic security is national security. By working together, we can build secure and resilient supply chains for critical minerals, nuclear energy, defence production and advanced technologies. We can protect our economies, our borders and our shared future from global threats,” Ford wrote.
“Ontario is ready to do its part.”
Source: London Free Press