Regulatory oversight and reporting

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) confirms OPG’s Pickering and Darlington Nuclear Generating Stations to be satisfactory in all safety and control areas.

The 2024 CNSC Regulatory Oversight Report confirms that Pickering and Darlington Nuclear Generating Stations as well as OPG's Waste Management Storage Facilities continued to be fully compliant in calendar year 2024.

Combined, the plants provide about 30% of the electricity used in the Ontario.

Darlington’s high rating is the strongest continuous performance by any Canadian nuclear power plant and is recognized by the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) as among the top performing nuclear power plants in the world.

OPG and Ontario are investing $12.8 billion in refurbishing the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, and, as one of Canada’s largest clean power projects, it will preserve about 3,000 jobs and provide 30-plus years of clean, reliable base load power at a cost lower than other alternatives considered.

OPG was granted approval from the CNSC to operate Pickering Nuclear until December 2026, to ensure a reliable, clean source of base load electricity during refurbishment.

Independent studies show that Pickering can operate reliably and safely to 2026 and that doing so would avoid 17 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere. That’s like taking 3.4 million cars off Ontario roads.

Continued operations will:

• Save consumers $600 million dollars.
• Protect 4,500 jobs in Durham Region.
• Reflect public support: 75% of Ontarians support the refurbishment of Darlington, and 80% supporting the Pickering extension.

Explore the CNSC's paste Integrated Safety Assessments for Pickering.

OPG is committed to safeguarding against airborne and waterborne effluents from the Pickering and Darlington nuclear stations.

OPG conducts continuous radiological environmental monitoring programs (REMP) in the vicinity of our power stations to determine the radiological impact to the public from the operation of these stations.

This data is compiled and provided to the public in annual reports.

Our extensive monitoring programs include assessing concentrations of radionuclides in:

• Air, water, soil, sediments.
• Vegetation and fish samples.
• The milk from local dairy cows.

Samples are taken near Darlington and Pickering, and at key provincial locations, to determine naturally occurring radiation levels in areas away from the influence of nuclear stations.

Preparation of these annual reports is a regulatory requirement of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, and you can explore our recent reports to the public as required by the CSNC.