Improving natural gas efficiency can save us billions
Deeper gas efficiency efforts between now and 2030 could save Ontario consumers $85 billion in natural gas costs over the life-times of the energy efficiency measures.
We can make every Pickering worker a millionaire — and still save billions!
Ontario can lower its electricity costs by $1.1 to $1.4 billion per year by closing the Pickering Nuclear Station and importing cleaner, safer and lower-cost water power from Quebec. The savings would be so great that we could pay every Pickering worker $1 million in severance and we would still save billions!
Pickering’s big– and growing — waste problem
The Pickering Nuclear Station has enough plutonium in waste onsite to arm 11,000 atomic warheads. With no long-term waste solution in sight, it is irresponsible to continue to add radioactive waste to the huge pile already on the waterfront at the station.
A Fukushima-level Nuclear Disaster at Pickering
This expert report finds that a Fukushima-level disaster at the Pickering Nuclear plant would result in an estimated 26,000 cancer cases, of which roughly half would be fatal. Large areas of the Greater Toronto Area would need to be evacuated and would become uninhabitable in some cases for 100 years or more.
Making the most of our efficiency potential to lower rates
Today, the IESO is paying an average of 2.2 cents for efficiency measures. Meanwhile, OPG is asking to raise the rate it is paid for nuclear power to 16.5 cents. Clearly, maximizing efficiency is a better answer. Our factsheet looks at just how much Ontario could save by maximizing efficiency.
Powering smart action on climate in Ontario
We need to take cost-effective action to reduce electricity sector GHG emissions. This report looks at how to reduce emissions at the lowest possible cost.
Ontario’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Options: A Cost Comparison
When we compare the cost of various electricity options, we can see which are the most cost-effective for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Nuclear is our most expensive GHG reduction option,.
Ontario nuclear’s tritium problem
Ontario's nuclear plants are the country's largest source of dangerous tritium emissions. This radioactive isotope is produced constantly by CANDU nuclear reactors. Once tritium is inside us, because we breathe it in, absorb it through skin or consume contaminated food or water, it release radioactivity in our bodies.
OPG Seeking 180% Price Increase for Nuclear Electricity
Ontario Power Generation (OPG) is seeking permission from the Ontario Energy Board to increase the price of its nuclear power by 11% per year for each of the next ten years. OPG wants to raise its price for nuclear power from 5.9 cents per kWh in 2016 to 16.8 cents per kWh in 2026. That means the rate in 2026 will be almost triple (2.8 times greater) today’s price. OPG’s proposed price increases are based on the assumption that its $12.8 billion Darlington Re-Build Project will be completed on time and on budget. Of course, every nuclear project in Ontario’s history has been massively over budget.
How we can close the Pickering Nuclear Station and lower bills
Ontario has a large electricity surplus, yet Ontario Power Generation wants to continue to run
Maximizing efficiency
Ontario could reduce its electricity demand by 31% by 2035 according to the IESO, reducing the need for fossil fuel and nuclear power generation while allowing clean renewable energy to meet more of our electricity needs.
Power Choices: Designing an electricity system for a rapidly changing world
Power Choices: Designing an electricity system for a rapidly changing world looks at how we could redesign our electricity system to lower its climate impact, reduce costs and create new economic opportunities.
Decommissioning Pickering Station can create thousands of jobs and save millions
Shutting down the Pickering Nuclear Station in 2018 and proceeding immediately with decommissioning will produce thousands of jobs, save millions of dollars and increase safety for millions of surrounding residents.
Does Bruce Nuclear re-build make sense?
The OCAA's review of the Ontario Government's contract with Bruce Power to rebuild up to six reactors finds that the stated cost of the contract is really only a preliminary estimate. What happens when costs inevitably balloon beyond initial estimates (as they have for every nuclear project in Ontario's history) is largely unknown
Small rural customers facing big hydro bill jumps
Thanks to a new Ontario Energy Board (OEB) policy that eliminates usage-based pricing for recovering Hydro One's electricity distribution costs, small rural electricity consumers are about to see a big jump in their monthly electricity bills.
Conservation First: The next steps
Putting Conservation First Into Practice looks at the mixed signals the government is sending about its Conservation First policy. On the one hand, it says it is committed to securing all efficiency measures that can be obtained at a lower cost than new electricity supplies. On the other hand, it is not paying a fair price for efficiency measures.
Help Ontario make the smart choice
Sign our petition calling on Premier Wynne to make a deal with Quebec instead of wasting billions on outdated nuclear
Achieving our climate goals while lowering our energy bills
Ontario can introduce carbon pricing while lowering energy bills for citizens and businesses by importing low-cost water power from Quebec.
Electricity demand down, economic growth up
Today, Ontario is producing 21% more goods and services for every kilowatt hour of electricity consumed than it was in 2005.
Nuclear generation up, electricity costs up
The amount of power supplied by nuclear plants in Ontario has increased by 44% since 2003. Over the same period, the wholesale cost of electricity has also risen by 50% — just more evidence that high cost, high risk nuclear power is no bargain.