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(Queen’s Park): “Ontario should hit the brakes on the Liberal’s electricity plans given the existing cost overruns on the Darlington nuclear rebuild,” says Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner.
At the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) last week, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) admitted that work on the operations support building for its Darlington Rebuild Project and on the auxiliary heating system for the station have both gone over budget – by 39% and 135% respectively, according to the Ontario Clean Air Alliance.
“The Liberals need to say no to the nuclear lobby and the 180% price increase OPG has requested to keep Pickering open and rebuild Darlington,” says Schreiner. “People can’t afford the big price increases in the Liberal’s nuclear plan.”
No nuclear project in Ontario’s history has come in on budget or on time. Cost overruns at this early stage of the Darlington rebuild could result in even higher electricity price increases than the 180% increase OPG requested late last year.
To date, both the Liberals and the PCs support the high cost of rebuilding nuclear plants.
The GPO is the only party calling on the government to halt the nuclear rebuilds and say no to the 180% price increase for nuclear power. The GPO is calling for an independent public review of nuclear costs and alternatives before proceeding with expensive nuclear rebuild projects.
“The Liberal’s expensive hydro band-aid won’t cover the 180% price increase for nuclear on people’s electricity bills,” says Schreiner. “It’s time to put people before the nuclear lobby.”
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