Ontario forges ahead with $26.8B nuclear refurbishment in Pickering

The Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, in Pickering, Ont., is seen Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn (Frank Gunn)

Ontario’s energy minister is announcing that a plan to refurbish four reactors at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station to get nearly four decades more service out of them will cost $26.8 billion.

The province and Ontario Power Generation have been intending for years to do the long-term refurbishment and today Minister Stephen Lecce announced that the government has approved OPG’s plan for it.

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission would still have to approve the project, but OPG plans to start the refurbishment in early 2027.

The CNSC previously approved a short extension of units 5 to 8 at the Pickering nuclear plant to the end of 2026.

Lecce says the project is expected to create more than 30,000 jobs during the refurbishment and maintain 6,700 jobs during its operation, while boosting GDP and addressing the province’s growing electricity needs.

Environmental Defence says that taking Pickering’s reactors offline for most of the next decade will increase the province’s already-growing reliance on natural gas to generate electricity, driving up greenhouse gas emissions.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2025.

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press