The Darlington Refurbishment project has reached a milestone.
Workers have successfully separated Unit 2 from the rest of the generating station. Ontario Power Generation has completed the first of four substantial segments of the Unit 2 refurbishment and is moving into the next phase of work.
Ontario's Energy Minister Glenn Thibeault says in a news release that this Saturday will mark three years without burning dirty coal as a source of energy, which remains the single largest climate change initiative in North America.
"This important milestone caps off a strong start," says OPG President and CEO Leff Lyash. "We have a long way to go, but we're confident we've done the work, and have the people in place to deliver this project safely and to plan."
The next phase involves opening up the reactor, setting up specialized equipment, and starting the disassembly and removal of reactor components.
"Here's where the months of training and practice on our reactor mock-up will really pay off," adds Lyash.
The Darlington Refurbishment will extend the life of the four-unit station by another 30 years, and will remove the equivalent of 2-million cars a year from Ontario's roads, or 300-million tonnes of avoided carbon emissions.
Sixty companies from across Ontario are contributing to the ten-year Darlington project.
