Ontario, New York announce nuclear energy agreement

Ontario has signed a memorandum of understanding with New York to help the state develop nuclear technologies to meet growing energy demand and strengthen reliability and decarbonization in both jurisdictions.

The new memorandum of understanding (MOU) establishes a deal between New York Power Authority (NYPA) and Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to collaborate on advancing nuclear energy technologies, including small modular reactors (SMRs) — which Ontario is currently building — and large-scale nuclear facilities, the province said in a release.

Announcing the agreement with New York Governor Kathy Hochul at a news conference in Buffalo Friday, Ford said Ontario currently has enough nuclear electricity to power 16 million homes, and more will be coming online in the coming years.

“Ontario is building the first small modular reactors in the G7 and we're leading the way at [the] Darlington site,” he said. “We invite you to share the technology.”

Under the new MOU, NYPA and OPG will share expertise and resources on technological innovation, financing and developing facilities, and training a workforce to build and operate nuclear infrastructure on both sides of the border, according to the provincial release.

New York and Ontario will also look at trade opportunities for electricity to improve power reliability and reduce emissions.

Ford praised nuclear energy as a positive method of future electricity production for both neighbours.

“It's safe, number one, it's clean, it's green, it's reliable, and it's cost-affordable for especially the ratepayers here [in New York] and over in Ontario,” he said.

While nuclear-generated electricity doesn't emit carbon, environmental concerns persist around the storage of toxic, nuclear waste, and the potential radiological hazards that have come with past accidents at facilities around the world.

Ontario has been investing heavily in nuclear technology recently, refurbishing old facilities and developing new ones.

The province and the Canadian federal government committed earlier this year to spending a collective $3 billion to build Canada’s first SMRs next to Darlington power plant. Construction started this year and the reactors are scheduled to start coming online in 2030. When completed, the four SMRs will produce 1,200 megawatts of electricity, or enough to power 1.2 million homes, Prime Minister Mark Carney said in the fall.

The new cross-border agreement comes as Canada continues to face trade hostility from the United States, something both Hochul and Ford expressed concern over at Friday’s conference. Along with the MOU, the pair also signed a declaration of intent to pledge continued co-operation between Ontario and New York.

“As these threats out of Washington come, we're going to stand firm and let people know who our friends are,” Hochul said.

“Our partnership between New York and Ontario is rock solid, and as long as I'm governor, it's going to stay that way.”