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OPG’s inaugural ESG report

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has released its inaugural annual Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report, which details the company’s ESG performance and practices, including our industry-leading climate change initiatives, progress toward becoming a more equitable, inclusive, and diverse employer, and actions underway as part of our Reconciliation Action Plan.

Recently approved by OPG’s Board of Directors, the report highlights the wide range of direct and indirect contributions to the province’s economy, community wellbeing, and social fabric.

Readers can learn about how OPG is leading the clean energy transition through our power generation, new technology development, and electrification initiatives; our ongoing work to be a safety leader and trusted partner and neighbour; and the processes in place to ensure OPG conducts itself with honesty and integrity while protecting critical infrastructure. The report acknowledges and embraces that much work is still to be done.

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Report Highlights:
  • Who we are
  • Message from the Board Chair & President
  • What ESG means to OPG
  • 2021 performance highlights
  • ESG pillars

Who we are

A bright blue nuclear unit in a turbine hall.OPG is a climate change leader with one of the most diverse generating portfolios in North America, meeting about half of Ontario’s power needs.

We invest millions in local economies and employ thousands of people to operate and maintain a modern, sophisticated energy fleet. Over the past five years, the company has returned approximately $5.9 billion in net income to the Province of Ontario, our sole Shareholder, for the benefit of its residents. We partner with local and environmental groups to improve the well-being of our many site communities. And our ground-breaking development partnerships with Indigenous partners are creating lasting economic benefits for First Nations communities.

Amanda Jacobs is a Service Trades Maintainer at OPG's R.H. Saunders GS.

Having delivered one of the world’s single largest climate change actions by closing our coal stations, OPG is now focused on becoming a net-zero company by 2040, and enabling a net-zero economy by 2050. We’re investing in new technologies to grow this clean economy through transportation electrification, Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), energy storage, hydrogen production, and hydroelectric projects.

We aim to achieve all these initiatives while prioritizing people and partnerships. This includes continuing to make progress on our Reconciliation Action Plan, as well as our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I) strategy.

OPG at a glance (as of Dec. 31, 2021)
  • One of North America’s largest, most diverse electricity generators, meeting about half of Ontario’s power needs
  • Generating facilities located across Ontario and in the U.S.
  • 18,958 MW generating capacity
  • 66 hydroelectric stations on 24 river systems in Ontario
  • $61 billion in assets
  • 2 nuclear stations
  • 2 other nuclear stations leased to Bruce Power
  • 1 biomass station
  • 1 dual-fueled oil and gas station
  • 4 combined-cycle gas stations
    (operated by subsidiary Atura Power)
  • 1 solar facility
    (First Nations partnership)
  • 87 U.S. hydroelectric stations
    (operated by subsidiary Eagle Creek Renewable Energy)
  • Developing Canada’s first Small Modular Reactor (SMR)
  • Leading producer of nuclear and medical isotopes, first harvested at Pickering Nuclear.

Message from the Board Chair and President

Wendy Kei, Board Chair and Ken Hartwick, President and CEOAt OPG, we believe our power can help change the world. As the province’s largest clean power generator, we take great pride in producing reliable, clean, and low-cost electricity in a safe and sustainable manner.

We also strive to be a good neighbour and partner to our host communities and the Indigenous communities whose land we operate on, while being a responsible corporate citizen, an ED&I champion, and a transformational leader in the fight against climate change.

For our approximately 9,500 employees across Ontario and the United States, these are the points of pride of working at OPG.

Since our company’s inception more than 20 years ago, we have committed to setting out and meeting key sustainability goals for our operations and managing our impacts. In past years, we reported on our progress through various performance documents and reports.

In this, our first-ever annual Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report, we take the same approach in reporting on our sustainability efforts, while also detailing our journey to become a more equitable, inclusive, diverse, and socially responsible company. In a quickly changing world, OPG believes operating sustainably and with good governance is not just good business, it is the foundation to building a brighter tomorrow for everyone.

At the centre of our efforts is our goal to help decarbonize the broader economy and be a leader in climate change action.

We know the severe consequences of climate change are already being felt around the world. We also know that on a global scale, it will take significant new investments and much more clean energy to meet the demands of electrification and achieve net zero.

Tackling this existential issue requires bold action and leadership, both of which OPG is accustomed to demonstrating.

Less than a decade ago, we helped largely decarbonize Ontario’s electricity system by eliminating more than 7,500 megawatts of coal-fired power generation, closing the last of our coal plants in 2014. Since then, we have invested in our low-emission nuclear power assets, expanded our hydroelectric production, and established a diverse generating fleet, including solar and biomass.

In 2020, we took another decisive step by releasing our Climate Change Plan, an ambitious blueprint that sets out two goals: to become a net-zero company by 2040 and to help the economies in which we operate achieve net zero by 2050.

In setting our goals, we intend to contribute to the prosperity of Ontarians and Indigenous communities, while delivering more clean energy to ensure the province’s electricity grid remains among the least carbon-intensive grids in the world. We believe our efforts can provide a blueprint for others to follow and achieve similar goals across the energy sector.

Since our Climate Change Plan’s launch, we have made significant advances, including our ongoing work to develop and deploy Canada’s first commercial, grid-scale Small Modular Reactor at our Darlington site, which represents the next generation of safe, carbon-free nuclear power. We are also investing in our clean hydroelectric fleets in Ontario and the U.S., advancing the production of hydrogen, supporting the electrification of transportation across Ontario, and continuing to execute our Darlington Refurbishment project, which will secure 30 more years of clean power and significant economic benefits.

We know to achieve our sustainability and climate change goals, we will need to rely on the dedication, experience, and innovative thinking of our people.

A group of workers gather on a bridge celebrating the successful construction of Peter Sutherland Sr. hydroelectric station.

To build a strong workforce fit for the future, we are accelerating efforts to be an equitable, diverse, and inclusive company. Our 10-year ED&I Strategy outlines OPG’s goal to become one of Canada’s best diversity employers by 2023 and a global leader in ED&I best practices by 2030. While much more work remains, we are making progress across the organization, including at our leadership tables; currently more than 60 per cent of our Board of Directors and 50 per cent of our executive team are made up of leaders representing designated groups, including women and racialized people. These numbers are significantly higher than labour-market availability for women in our industry.

We know building a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive company is critical to our success. It will take a wide variety of engaged voices from all backgrounds to help us reach our goals – from operations, to project excellence, to climate change. More than this, we know this is just the right thing to do to ensure everyone can work safely and to their full potential every day.

In 2021, OPG also furthered our commitment to be a leader in Indigenous relations with the release of our Reconciliation Action Plan, which will guide our work with Indigenous communities, businesses and organizations to advance Reconciliation in a meaningful way.

Through the plan, we intend to grow economic benefits for Indigenous communities and businesses, while increasing Indigenous representation across OPG.

These and many other initiatives will help our company play a major role in helping solve the challenge of our lifetime – climate change – while ensuring we remain a sustainable, socially responsible, and beneficial company for communities and Indigenous partners.

All the while, we will continue to deliver low-cost, clean power efficiently, reliably and safely for Ontario and beyond.

Together, we will help secure a brighter, cleaner future for all.

What ESG means to OPG

OPG believes that operating in a sustainable manner, consistent with ESG principles, is fundamental to the long-term success of our company, and to our ability to deliver value and enhance the prosperity and well-being of the places and people we serve.

That’s why we have integrated ESG principles into our corporate strategy, business model, risk management framework, policy requirements, and performance targets. This means our impacts on the world outside of OPG, and the outside world’s impacts on our company, are identified and managed. We accomplish this through a robust governance system, including procedures and controls. ESG is directly overseen by our Board of Directors and senior management, explicitly linked to individual performance assessments, and ESG performance helps determine executive compensation.

Environment
Environmental
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Social
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Governance

ESG Guiding Principles

We will lead the clean energy transition through our power generation, new technology development, electrification initiatives, and operational excellence, while ensuring strong environmental and biodiversity protection and enhancement.

We will be a safety leader and a trusted partner, neighbour, advocate, employer, and steward of resources.

We will lead and conduct ourselves with honesty and integrity, carry out our business with transparency, and ensure diligent oversight systems and processes.

Material Topics

  • Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
  • Sustainable Financing
  • Clean Energy Credits
  • Greenhouse Gas Emissions
  • Environmental Compliance
  • Management of Nuclear By-products, Nuclear Sustainability Services
  • Biodiversity and Wildlife Habitat Stewardship
  • Water Management
  • Indigenous Reconciliation and Relations
  • Human Capital – Our People
  • Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
  • COVID-19 Response
  • Community Public Safety (Dams and Waterways, Emergency Plans, Nuclear Safety)
  • Supply Chain Management, including Procurement
  • Protection of Critical Infrastructure
  • Corporate Citizenship
  • Medical Isotopes
  • Corporate Governance
  • Executive Compensation
  • Corporate Culture
  • Ethical Business Conduct
  • Enterprise Risk Management
  • ESG Integration in Funds Investment Processes