Ontario prepares to go big on nuclear, with demand for electricity poised to soar

Demand for electricity across Canada is forecast to double in the next 25 years, and all the signs from Ontario Premier Doug Ford's government indicate that nuclear energy will supply the biggest portion of the province's additional power needs.

Key factors driving that demand include the auto sector's looming transition to electric vehicles and the push for industries to reduce their carbon emissions. 

That creates the potential for Ontario to embark on what would be Canada's biggest-ever expansion of nuclear power, a multi-decade construction project with costs that could ultimately run into the hundreds of billions of dollars. 

Among the recent moves by the Ford government: 

There's no way Ontario can ramp up electricity production sufficiently without expanding nuclear production, says Energy Minister Todd Smith. 

WATCH | Step inside one of Ontario's nuclear power stations:

"Given the fact that we want to make sure that we're building emissions-free sources of electricity, really the best way to do that is base-load power through nuclear," said Smith in an interview with CBC News. 

"We've proven that it's reliable 365 days a year, seven days a week and 24 hours a day," said Smith. "That's why we're moving forward rather aggressively on SMRs and potentially new large nuclear as well."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is on side too. "We're going to have to be doing much more nuclear," he said in April while speaking about the need for clean electricity to power Canada's growing industrial production.

Trudeau's government is also providing investment tax credits of 15 per cent on the construction of emissions-free electricity systems, including nuclear power. 

Nuclear plants currently supply slightly more than half of Ontario's electricity needs. Hydro dams provide one-quarter of the supply, with gas-fired power plants and wind farms combining for all but a fraction of the remainder.

The province has made its case for expanding nuclear power in a series of reports over recent months.

In a report issued last December, Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) examined how to meet demand while ensuring the province's grid is emissions-free by 2050.

It envisions the construction of 17,800 megawatts of new nuclear power, roughly equivalent to building another Bruce nuclear plant, two more Darlingtons and an additional Pickering.