Case - Pickering Nuclear Life Extension

The Pickering Nuclear Generating Station (PNGS) operates along Lake Ontario’s shoreline. It began operating in 1971.

The current PNGS operating licence expires in August 2018 and Ontario Power Generation (OPG) is currently applying for a licence renewal to continue operating until 2028. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) Tribunal is set to review the conditions of the PNGS licence. Lake Ontario Waterkeeper is intervening.

For consideration during the relicensing process, Waterkeeper commissioned expert review of the station’s environmental impacts on surface water quality and aquatic ecosystems.

On May 7, 2018 Waterkeeper provided a preliminary submission to the CNSC. This submission outlined the lack of publicly available information on PNGS impacts on Lake Ontario.

A full CNSC submission from Waterkeeper followed on May 18, 2018.

The CNSC relicensing hearing took place June 25 - 29, 2018, and Waterkeeper presented its findings from the intervention process. 

On August 8, 2018, the CNSC announced its decision to renew the PNGS operating licence until August 2028. 

Waterkeeper’s involvement in the PNGS relicensing hearing comes after it's involvement in the Pickering Waste Management Facility hearing in April 2017.