Ontario plans to build a new nuclear power plant in Port Hope. Here is why some experts think it could just be the beginning.

The Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, in Pickering, Ont., is seen Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Ontario is hoping to expand its nuclear energy capacity.

In a news conference Wednesday, Minister of Energy Stephen Lecce said the province will explore the possibility of developing a new nuclear power plant at Ontario Power Generation’s Wesleyville site near Port Hope as it seeks to ensure Ontario’s grid can handle an expected 75 per cent increase in electricity demand by 2050.

The proposal to scale up Ontario’s nuclear energy resources comes on the heels of a series of announcements from Premier Doug Ford aimed at strengthening the U.S.-Canada trade relations amid president-elect Donald Trump’s tariff threats, including an energy plan that would rely on and build upon Ontario’s existing nuclear infrastructure to deliver more power south of the border.

Experts say with nuclear energy becoming a key player in the sustainable energy industry, Ontario and Canada are poised to take a lead in the transition.

Currently, three out of the four operational nuclear power plants in Canada are located in Ontario.

“Nuclear is going to play a significant and sort of critical role in the future of power generation in Canada, especially with the advent of data centres and artificial intelligence growth right now,” Francis Syms, Associate Dean of Information and Communications Technology at Humber Polytechnic, told CTV News Toronto in an interview.

“A small modular reactor (SMR) can generate enough power to support about 237,000 homes in Ontario annually - that’s a lot of power.”

Part of Ford’s “Fortress Am-Can” plan would see the expansion of the existing electricity grid Canada and the U.S. currently share, as well as streamlining the approval process for small modular and large nuclear reactors.

Jason Dion, Senior Research Director with the Canadian Climate Institute, tells CTV News Toronto that Ontario’s electrical grid needs to grow and needs to be ready for the demand that’s coming.

“Ontario, to its credit, is not simply looking at only investing in nuclear power,” says Dion. “The plans [the province] have announced really are focussed on top to bottom investment in electricity systems. That includes demand-side investments in energy efficiency. It includes refurbishing and expanding hydropower where it exists. It includes a growing role for renewables, and it includes expanding nuclear power.”

According to Syms, Canada can lead the transition to nuclear power thanks to its Canada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) reactors.

“Canada has a lot of experience with how to manage nuclear energy production safely with our CANDU reactors,” says Syms. “We can leverage this regulatory framework that we’ve built and that we know works and try to scale it to support SMR builds like the ones here in Ontario at the Darlington Power Plant.”

“If we can get out in front and build some of these SMRs quickly, not only can we generate a lot of power here that we can export, but we can actually help other countries build the same kind of reactors on their own.”

Dion says that in addition to nuclear power, Canada and Ontario also have the land and natural resource capacity to scale up other energy projects that could attract investment from other countries.

“Ontario was smart to expand and capitalize on the hydropower advantages it has,” says Dion. “But [the province] is also playing its cards intelligently when it comes to growing the other sources of power that it’s going to need to meet demand and embracing this larger clean energy transition and the opportunities that come with it.

“Whether it’s investment in electric vehicle manufacturing or battery plants, whether it’s critical minerals, hydrogen production, there’s a lot that Ontario can position itself to take advantage of and be a supplier to the rest of Canada and the world.”

As for Ford’s “Fortress Am-Can” pitch, Syms agrees that the wealth of space and natural materials Canada has access to makes Ontario a great investment opportunity for the U.S.

“Within Canada and the United States, we have all the ingredients to build this incredible, secure energy generation network. Canada has the supply. We have the minerals, we have the space, we have the water, we have the expertise. The U.S. is hungry for all of that.”