Ontario Power Generation
Regulatory Reporting
OPG reports on many facets of its operations to many different levels of government and their agencies. Some of the regulatory bodies and legislation OPG adheres to include:
Federal
- Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC): All nuclear construction, equipment, safety systems, security, operating limits, licences, decommissioning and waste management are subject to CNSC approval.
- Environmental legislation: Includes the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, the Fisheries Act, Canadian Nuclear Safety Act and others
Provincial
- Ontario Energy Board: OPG’s economic regulator.
- Provincial and municipal legislation: including the Ontario Energy Board Act, the Electricity Act, the Environmental Protection Act, the Ontario Water Resources Act and the Environmental Assessment Act, etc.
- Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) rule compliance required.
Nuclear Safety Oversight
OPG’s nuclear safety regulator is the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). The CNSC is responsible under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act (NSCA) for regulating all nuclear facilities and nuclear-related activities in Canada. The CNSC grants Pickering B’s operating licence, which sets out the regulations and requirements the station must operate under.
For more information on the mandate of the CNSC, go to: www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/.
Oversight of OPG Activities
The CNSC has a presence at each nuclear station in Canada, including Pickering B. CNSC staff members have continuous access to inspect our stations and review our activities. CNSC staff report our activities to the CNSC Commission Tribunal, an appointed body of individuals who provide further oversight on nuclear activities.
In addition to OPG’s own rigorous internal safety reporting and review process, OPG is also required to formally notify the CNSC of activities which meet a defined criteria. 'Detailed Event Reports' are provided to CNSC staff when an activity meets the thresholds set out by the Commission’s regulations. These reports, numbering approximately 80 to 100 in a year, represent a very small fraction of the activities undertaken in a nuclear station every year but each is given scrutiny for a root cause, corrective action and resolution. Upon review of CNSC staff, each year, typically a handful of these ‘Detailed Event Reports’ may be identified as having enough significance to warrant further review by the CNSC Commission Tribunal at one of their regularly-held public meetings. There the root cause and remedial actions and resolution of the event will be discussed in a public forum with this further level of oversight and accountability.
