In December of 2005, the
OPA issued its
Advice to
Minister on the long term supply mix for the province. The report demonstrates that the current procurement plans in place will enable the system to operate until about 2015. However, there is a growing gap so that there would be shortfall of about 15,000 MW by 2025. Therefore, the focus of the report is to determine the best way to meet the needs over the long term, specifically by 2015, 2020 and 2025.
Nuclear power continues to be the back bone of the Ontario electricity system. It will continue to be the primary form of base load electricity, representing about 1/3 of the system capacity and providing about 50% of the energy. Therefore, the conclusion is that by 2025, the share of nuclear on an energy basis should remain about the same as it is today, ~50%. This can be achieved through refurbishing existing units, rebuilding on existing sites and undertaking new build. plants.
The .Advice. provided to the Minister is indeed just that, an advice. The next step is for the Minister to respond, following which the OPA will develop an Integrated Power System Plan {IPSP) to put the measures in place to deliver a secure long term supply to the Province.