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PORT HOPE, ONT. – Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has signed a partnership agreement with the Municipality of Port Hope for new energy generation at the Wesleyville site.

Early assessments show the 1,300-acre site alone could support up to 10,000 megawatts of new nuclear generation, which is enough to power the equivalent of 10 million homes, a release reads.

It is already maintained by OPG, located near existing transmission, road and railway infrastructure and is zoned for new electricity generation. It also has access to Lake Ontario for cooling water, making it well-suited for new nuclear development, the release notes.

On Jan. 12, OPG submitted their Initial Project Description to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada for approval.

Under the agreement OPG and Port Hope will work to:

• Collaborate, share information and provide technical input required to inform the federal Impact Assessment and meet the prescribed timelines for the proposed project.
• Facilitate community engagement and outreach 
• Promote the health of local ecosystems, air quality, and water resources related to proposed new nuclear generation in the surrounding areas.
• Advance and promote economic development.

“To advance this critical project OPG and Port Hope will work together throughout the Impact Assessment phase and any additional regulatory approvals and licensing processes,” the release reads. “OPG will also continue to engage with Indigenous communities through separate agreements during the project planning and assessment process.

OPG has also provided a further $4 million of “growth readiness funding” to Port Hope to support the community in preparing for the workload of the Impact Assessment process and beginning stages of a proposed Wesleyville nuclear facility.

An additional $500,000 was provided to support specific staffing requirements related to the work.

The project itself is slated to support 10,500 jobs across Ontario, including 1,700 new jobs in Port Hope, while contributing $235 billion to Ontario’s GDP over its lifespan, the release says.

It has been supported by the Society of United Professional, United Association and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers.