The Ontario government is exploring sites for energy generation, including St. Clair Township.
Energy Minister Stephen Lecce said increasing electricity demand over the next 25 years has made it necessary to invest in energy infrastructure.
Lecce said the provincial government has asked Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to begin discussions with Indigenous, community, and municipal leaders on its existing sites in Port Hope, Haldimand County, and St. Clair Township to determine community support for all types of new energy generation, including nuclear power.
"These are sites that are already zoned for electricity generation and located close to existing transmission and parts of the province that are experiencing significant growth," said Lecce during a news conference in Toronto.
According to Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator, the province’s demand for electricity is expected to increase by 75 per cent by 2050.
Lecce said while the province is already on track to meet demands through 2035 with major projects already announced, the province will need 16,000 additional megawatts (MW) of generation, in addition to new transmission to meet demand in 2050.
That's the equivalent of adding four and a half cities the size of Toronto to the grid.
"And as Ontario's largest energy generator, OPG owns properties across the province that can play an important role in meeting this demand," said Lecce. "But before we can start to talk about new projects, it's critical that we give local communities the opportunity to provide input."
The province said early conversations with communities will include how they would be supported and potential benefits, including equity participation for Indigenous communities in generation projects and the creation of a new fund with up to $50 million for municipal host communities across the three sites to support community infrastructure investments and attraction of co-located industry.