PowerNews is a quarterly round-up of stories and employee profiles that showcase our projects, operations, environmental initiatives, and dedicated employees.
In the Winter 2019 issue, we get an update on the Darlington Refurbishment, which recently finished new fuel load in Unit 2. We also take a look at a new agreement to expand life-saving Cobalt-60 isotope production.
In the employee spotlight is Negin Mahmoudi, a Pressure Boundary Specialist working on the Darlington Refurbishment. She followed her engineering dream around the world before settling into a career with OPG.
Also in this issue, we take a look at a key maintenance project that recently wrapped up at our R.H. Saunders hydro station, catch up with some fawns getting a new lease on life at Nanticoke, and delve into some of the innovations taking place throughout the company.
OPG reports positive Q3 results
OPG reported strong Q3 operating and financial results, reporting net income attributable to the Shareholder of $319 million, compared to $279 million for the same period last year. The company’s operations generated 19.1 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity during the three months ended Sept. 30, 2019, compared to 18.3 TWh in the same quarter in 2018.
“This continued strong performance is a reflection of our employees’ dedication and commitment to excellence, day in and day,” said Ken Hartwick, President and CEO of OPG.
Largely driving this past quarter’s performance was higher generation of 1.0 TWh from OPG’s nuclear stations. Fewer outage days at Pickering Nuclear and Darlington Nuclear resulted in increased production and higher revenue of $70 million.
Meanwhile, electricity generation from OPG’s regulated hydro stations decreased by 0.2 TWh in the third quarter, primarily due to lower demand for electricity in Ontario. This decrease was partially offset by higher water flows in various regions of the province. Production from the Contracted and Other Generation Segment remained unchanged in the third quarter compared to the previous quarter in 2018 at 0.7 TWh.
Other recent highlights include:
Brighton Beach GS and Cube Hydro
In August, OPG closed its acquisition of the remaining 50 per cent interest in the natural gas-fired Brighton Beach Generating Station in Windsor. And in October, the purchase of Cube Hydro, a hydropower platform in the United States, successfully closed. These acquisitions will help OPG maintain scale while providing enhanced returns for Ontarians.
Darlington Refurbishment
OPG recently marked the third anniversary of breaker open at Darlington’s Unit 2, which took place Oct. 15, 2016. The overall project remains on schedule and on budget, and the project team remains focused on a strong finish for Unit 2. Work on the unit is 90 per cent complete, and the last of the lower feeders was installed this past October. Fuel is now being reloaded into the reactor in preparation for the unit’s return to service in the second quarter of 2020. Planning and prerequisite activities continue for work on Unit 3, with refurbishment activities on the unit targeted to begin in Q2 2020.
In November, OPG received the Canadian Electricity Association President's Award of Excellence for Employee Safety in Generation, the company’s second year in a row winning this award and fourth out of the past five. Darlington Nuclear also recently received the Excellence Award from the Institute of Nuclear Power Operators, the fourth time for the station, and was recognized with the 2019 Sustainability Award from the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce. OPG was also awarded the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade’s Business Excellence Award.
“This recognition confirms the strength of our culture and our commitment to being a safe and sustainable generator for Ontario,” said Hartwick.
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