Ontario Power Generation

Clean air
In 2005, over 70 percent of OPG's electricity was produced by hydroelectric and nuclear stations that released almost nothing to the air that could make acid rain, global warming or smog. Five generating stations powered by fossil fuels made the rest of OPG's power. Coal is OPG's main fossil fuel for these stations; one uses oil and natural gas to make its electricity.

Cutting down emissions
OPG continues to make significant progress in reducing air emissions from its fossil-fuelled plants through the use of special technology that stop gases and particulates before they are released to the atmosphere. OPG's coal plants are being phased out over the next few years which will drastically reduce our air emissions.

Crystal-clear water
Water is a large-scale, largely emissions-free, renewable source of hydroelectric power and OPG's lowest-cost source of electricity. Water also helps make power at our nuclear and fossil-fuelled generating stations by cooling the system. Recognizing that water is important to all life, OPG applies high standards in taking care of its water resources.
OPG works hard to take into account the unique social, cultural and recreational interests for each river and lake it uses in making electricity.

Water use in hydroelectric generation
In 2004, OPG generated 35,800 gigawatt-hours of renewable hydroelectric power, an increase of ten per cent relative to 2003. The improvement was due in part to a relatively wet summer season in 2004, which gave us more water to work with. OPG always takes into account ecological priorities in making electricity. For example, we protect fish spawning habitats from disruptions in water levels by adjusting when and how much water we release from dams. We also sometimes hold water back to protect against springtime flooding that could damage shoreline ecosystems and contribute to erosion.

Increasing the efficiency of water
OPG is looking to make hydroelectric power even more efficiently, and to make more of it. Over the period 2003 to 2007, OPG will spend around $300 million on improving our hydroelectric facility. Plus we've started building a new tunnel to the Sir Adam Beck complex to increase the water supplies to make more power.

Cooling with water
Almost 100 per cent of the water used by OPG's fossil and nuclear stations is used for cooling purposes. The water is used once and then is returned to its source slightly warmer.

Biodiversity: our aim
Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on earth, including ecosystems, plant and animal species in those ecosystems. OPG's Biodiversity Policy tries not to harm any species, directly or by damaging the area they live in. Our biodiversity program has won many awards and we regularly check to make sure we are taking care of the plants and animals on our land. We like to work with external conservation agencies and local municipalities to see if we can improve the environment on a larger scale. OPG also has the Carbon Sequestration and Biodiversity Management Program. This is a tree-planting program that aims to capture carbon, a part of a greenhouse gas, to offset the emissions from our fossil stations. From 2000 to 2004, OPG and its conservation partners have planted over 1.86 million native trees and shrubs on more than 900 hectares of land.