Westinghouse Electric Company has announced that it would prepare detailed construction plans, schedules and cost estimates for two potential AP1000 nuclear reactors at Ontario Power Generation’s Darlington site in Ontario, Canada.
The plans and estimates would provide significant input in helping the Province of Ontario determine the baseload generation option that is best for Ontario’s ratepayers. Westinghouse also announced the opening of the Westinghouse Electric Canada Inc. office in Toronto.
“Westinghouse is pleased to participate in the Province’s information-gathering process,” said Joe Zwetolitz, president, Westinghouse Americas. “Should the Province select our AP1000 as the preferred option, we believe that Ontario’s infrastructure could become even more energy self-sufficient, creating local Canadian jobs during construction and opportunities for involving Canadian suppliers on this and future nuclear projects elsewhere in the world.”
In 2008, Ontario’s Energy ministry invited companies to submit proposals to build two nuclear reactors at Darlington or Bruce, or both. However, in June 2009, after receiving bids from AREVA (US EPR), Westinghouse (AP1000) and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (ACR-1000), the procurement process was stalled due to concern about pricing and uncertainty over the future of state-owned AECL.
In July 2012, the Ontarian energy minister Christopher Bentley told the province’s Standing Committee on Estimates that OPG had reached an agreement with SNC Lavalin (which acquired the reactor business of AECL last year) and Westinghouse to provide funds to help them prepare construction plans, schedules and cost estimates for two new reactors at Darlington.
“OPG has determined that the best way to be able to know costs, know construction timelines, know risk so that they can determine whether it’s financially the right thing to do, is to get these companies competitively to put together a hard estimate,” Bentley said.
At the time of writing, SNC Lavalin had not released a statement confirming whether or not it would prepare a proposal.
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