Clarification from Premier McGuinty: Ontario has only suspended procurement of new nukes
Premier Dalton McGuinty clarified that the procurement of new reactors for the Darlington Generating Station has been delayed, not cancelled outright. However, no indication was given as to when negotiations with private sector vendors might resume.
Premier McGuinty said that a softening in demand for power in the province as a result of the economic downturn has given the province "more breathing space than we originally thought." However, he acknowledged that renewables and conservation alone will not address Ontario's long term demand for electricity. New nuclear capacity will therefore likely still be required.
McGuinty also confirmed that Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. ("AECL") was "the front-runner but definitely not the clear-cut winner based on the price." The province had earlier indicated that AECL submitted the only compliant bid under the RFP process. However, its bid must have been substantially higher than the anticipated $20 billion budget for the project. Minister Smitherman advised AECL to "sharpen their pencils substantially."