Ontario Power Generation held a public hearing meeting in Pickering on Oct. 25. More nuclear plant executives and employees attended than concerned citizens.
The Ontario Power Generation held a public meeting at the Pickering Recreational Centre on Oct 25. About 75 people were in attendance, the majority of whom were employees or executives of OPG or public companies relative to the nuclear generating plant at Pickering.
 
 
Randy Lockwood, Sr. Vice President, Pickering Nuclear, Ontario Power Generation, was the initial speaker. He surveyed numerous aspects of the Ontario Nuclear Generation story touching how dependent Ontario residents are for its power, how many jobs depend on the continuing operation of the 4 Ontario nuclear energy plants and he emphasized the excellent safety record held by these plants. He proudly boasted that Ontario nuclear generators have had 23 years without an LTA [ loss time accident. ] Likely something to be proud of indeed.
Numerous other notable executives were in attendance. Kevin Lee, a representative from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission spoke next and clarified what the commission did and its mandate in the work that it does. Once again, safety and adherence to safe practice regulations was the central theme of Lee’s talk.
Even the manager of the Pickering nuclear plant addressed the audience when questions arose in relation to winter ice storms and how Pickering plant must react properly to them. Not only does the plant have to have backup generators to ensure that all the safety mechanisms continue to operate fully, but the plant in conjunction with Ontario Hydro crews must react and work as positively and effectively to reconnect people are have been disconnected from the power grid. Again, Ms. Stephanie Smith, the plant manager, reiterated that safety and continuous safe operating safeguards are the highest priority with re-establishment of power connectivity following.
A Q & A session followed, but with no tech experts or technology knowledgeable people in attendance, the questions were relatively low key and expected. Lockwood had to respond to the question of the radiation risks of the ever-growing stockpile of nuclear-spent fuel at the Pickering plant. With years of experience behind him, the VP easily stickhandled the potentially hot topic with an explanation of all the mechanisms in place which make the storage safe and at minimal risk. The questioner reiterated the tremendous quantity of the spent fuel rods and its potential risk which lasts for hundreds of years. The points never made a dent on this audience.
When a question of Quebec hydro as a source of power, Lockwood used all the old and hackneyed chestnuts of lost jobs, cost of building new infrastructures, time to build same and that the cost would ultimately be comparable to what nuclear-generated costs are. What was particularly irksome in Lockwood’s response was the ambiguity and nebulousness of it. He ‘hoped’ the eastern American states would not be without power because of Ontario, he ‘hoped’ Quebec would be able to handle the strain of greater demand, and such wispy and cloudy tidbits wafted over the audience.
Hard questions were never put to Lockwood, questions needed to be asked by people who had more knowledge and more expertise with the issues at hand: questions about emergency planning, emergency kits, publication of information relating to plant operation. There was some confusion about the license renewal for the Pickering plant and its date for shut down commencement procedures at the end of 2024. Lockwood answered carefully to minimize the confusion clarifying that shut down involved a set up very regulated procedures aimed at proper storage of spent fuel and safe termination of operations. His explanation concluded that the Pickering plant would be ready for total cessation of operations by 2028.
As one looked around the very small audience, there did not seem to be a single representative from the City of Pickering in attendance.
