Save Pickering

Pickering had some stand-out CF's in 2024, including units 1 and 4 in their final year:

- Pickering 1: 98.1%
- Pickering 4: 92.4%
- Pickering 6: 98.8%
- Pickering 8: 91.2%

Will be exciting to see what post-refurbishment looks like!

Today at noon Ontario Power Generation Pickering A4, the final Pickering A unit, enters retirement.

Unit 4 entered commercial service on June 17th, 1973, putting it at 51 years old. It was one of the fastest CANDU reactors constructed, 5 years shovel to in-service.

As the final whisper of steam leaves the A plant, it is bittersweet, as its sister, and site mate, Pickering B has a bright future ahead of it with full refurbishment and many more decades of operation.

Pickering was planned around an average capacity factor of 60%, which was pretty typical for thermal plants of the period.

In the first 10 years of operation for each unit:
Pickering A1: 81.1%
Pickering A2: 83.0%
Pickering A3: 78.0%
Pickering A4: 82.1%
Pickering B5: 76.7%
Pickering B6: 83.8%
Pickering B7: 86.9%
Pickering B8: 82.5%

Making it one of the best performing plants in the world at the time.

From 1971 to 1996 (the first 10 years for each unit) Pickering would generate 472TWh, which is more than all the wind and solar constructed in Ontario under the GEA will generate over its lifetime (341TWh).

As we head toward the Pickering B refurbishment, reflecting on the 1,000TWh the plant will have provided by the time the refurbishment starts, it's incredible to see the track record and continued support of this wonderful Canadian technology.

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