Because of the high cost of repairs, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) announced in February 2010 that it would close the six Pickering reactors by 2020. (See: http://tinyurl.com/26o7tz6) While the closure of the Pickering nuclear station provides an opportunity for the expanding green energy (if the McGuinty government doesn't replace it with new reactors), the closure of the first major nuclear station in Canada also presents new environmental challenges. Specifically, how should we clean up the radioactive mess? Currently, OPG hopes to avoid clean up by putting it off for decades. At hearings in Pickerering on May 21, 2010, Greenpeace Canada's nuclear analyst Shawn-Patrick Stensil asked the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to ensure Canadians and the community of Pickering are given an opportunity to debate clean up strategies for Pickering well before its shut down in 2020.
