Experts are raving! "It's time to flip the script on nuclear power - the clean energy source the world needs."

Nuclear power takes top billing in Ontario’s energy system. As the strong, reliable lead, it works day and night, at all times of the year. And it has been playing the part of Ontario’s workhorse for more than 50 years.

FACT: Nuclear is Ontario’s main source of non-carbon emitting baseload electricity. In 2021, about 58% of Ontario’s electricity production came from nuclear power. Unlike intermittent renewables like solar and wind, which only work when the sun is shining and wind is blowing, nuclear is always there to provide reliable power 24/7/365.

FACT: Once a nuclear reactor switches on, it generates a stable level of power for decades, with few interruptions.

Carbon-free nuclear power is one of the cleanest energy technologies available to us today. In a world roiled by climate change, nuclear power will be there to save the day.

FACT: By displacing dirty energy sources such as coal, nuclear power helps avoid about 2.2 billion tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually. That’s the same as taking about a third of all the world’s cars off the road.

FACT: In Canada alone, nuclear energy helps avoid 80 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year. That's roughly the equivalent of taking 15 million passenger vehicles off the road.

For such a large output of energy, nuclear creates a very small volume of waste, which is safely handled and stored. Some by-products are clean, recyclable, and valuable.

FACT: The used nuclear fuel that a single person would generate over their entire lifetime if they relied exclusively on nuclear energy would be small enough to fit in a standard 355 ml soda can.

FACT: OPG has over 50 years of experience in transporting, processing, and storing nuclear materials with an excellent safety record.

The next chapter of nuclear power is now being written with innovations like Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), which can provide small and remote communities access to a reliable source of clean energy.

FACT: OPG is now working to build North America’s first commercial SMR at Darlington Nuclear, with the aim to build a fleet of four SMRs in total at the site – a first in the Western world.

FACT: Four GE-Hitachi BWRX-300 SMRs at Darlington will provide 1,200 megawatts of clean electricity capable of powering about 1.2 million homes.

Unlike other sources of power, nuclear fission is extremely energy-dense, which means a nuclear reactor requires very little fuel to create a whole lot of power.

FACT: To match the energy output of just one 20-gram uranium pellet found in a nuclear fuel rod (the weight of four grapes), you would need 400 kilograms of coal or 410 litres of oil.

FACT: About 10 uranium pellets can power the average Canadian home for a year. In a CANDU reactor, hundreds of these pellets are loaded into 28 or 37 half-metre-long fuel rods, which are then grouped into a cylindrical fuel bundle the size of a fireplace log. One fuel bundle can provide enough power for about 100 homes for 18 months.

When was the last time a wind turbine saved a life? Nuclear’s superpower is turning what was once considered waste into critical medical isotopes that enable the life-saving diagnosis and treatment of millions of people around the world.

FACT: OPG’s nuclear stations are a vital source of life-saving isotopes like Cobalt 60, which is used to sterilize about 40% of the world’s largest single-use medical devices, such as syringes and surgical instruments.

FACT: OPG’s Darlington Nuclear will be the world’s only commercial power reactor source of Molybdenum-99, a much-needed medical isotope used in more than 30 million procedures a year to detect illnesses like cancer and heart disease.

Unlike other power sources, such as wind and solar, nuclear requires far less land to produce clean power, which reduces impacts to the environment and natural habitats.

FACT: Nuclear is the most land-efficient means of clean electricity production, requiring only 2.4 km²/TWh per year, which includes all aspects of production, such as mining and fuel fabrication. By comparison, wind requires a whopping 72 km²/TWh per year and solar requires 37 km²/TWh.

FACT: One 300-megawatt Small Modular Reactor, like the one OPG is advancing now at its Darlington Nuclear site, can roughly fit in one American football field. By comparison, you would need about 110 football fields to produce the same amount of power using wind turbines.

Nuclear can be fast and furious, too. Nuclear energy is helping drive the electric future by powering electric vehicles, and a whole lot more.

FACT: More than 30% of Ontario’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the transportation sector, with cars and trucks being the largest contributors.

FACT: Clean nuclear power will help OPG electrify life in one generation by powering more facets of life, including transportation, homes, and industries.

FACT: OPG’s subsidiary PowerON Energy Solutions and our Ivy Charging Network partnership are helping to electrify transportation, from buses to personal cars.

Nuclear does more than just provide clean electricity, it also powers high-quality jobs and other economic benefits. All told, the nuclear industry directly and indirectly supports a total of 76,000 Canadian jobs, with a total impact on the Canadian GDP of $17 billion per year.

FACT: Nearly 200 Canadian companies supply products or services to the nuclear industry. This number is expected to grow with the development of Small Modular Reactors and future nuclear projects.

FACT: OPG’s $12.8-billion Darlington Refurbishment project will generate $14.9 billion in economic benefits to Ontario, and a total of $89.9 billion when taking into account 30-plus more years of station operations.