OPG’s Niagara Operations awarded Gold Certification by Wildlife Habitat Council

Recently, Niagara Operations also launched a goat-grazing pilot project to help manage vegetation and invasive species at two OPG sites.

At the company’s Sir Adam Beck Pump GS, the hooved helpers proved to be voracious munchers of Phragmites australis, an invasive and fast-growing plant. In just a few weeks, about 30 of the animals helped chew through and remove more than 13,000 square metres of the invasive pest.

And at OPG’s DeCew stations, the goats were effective in controlling overgrown vegetation to allow workers to access the penstocks for inspection.

This unique method of vegetation removal helps OPG avoid the use of herbicides and potential contamination of the environment.

The WHC certifies conservation programs on corporate lands around the world and promotes environmental management through partnerships and education. All applications for certification are reviewed and scored on an individual basis by a third party against project-specific criteria, with a score falling into three categories: Certified, Certified Silver, and Certified Gold.

The recent Gold certification is just one of many recognitions the company has received from the WHC. In June 2021, OPG’s Western Waste Management Facility, now known as Nuclear Sustainability Services, was awarded the WHC’s Gold Program of the Year, the highest level of recognition achievable from the WHC. The facility was certified Gold in March 2021.

Other OPG sites to receive Gold certification in the past include the Eastern Operations hydroelectric group, Lennox GS, and the Darlington and Pickering stations.

Across the company, OPG is engaged in a number of programs with conservation authorities and environmental agencies that range from habitat restoration to planting native trees and shrubs to managing ponds and wetlands. These nature-based solutions will be important to helping OPG reach its climate change goals outlined in its Climate Change Plan.