Ontario Sees an Opportunity in Nuclear and Energy Storage
The Nuclear Innovation Institute (NII) report said that Ontario could decrease its reliance on gas-fired plants while keeping its electricity system reliable. This could be possible by using energy storage with long-duration paired with the emission-free electricity coming from the Bruce nuclear power plant.
The same report said that while Ontario aims for a net-zero, the higher capacity energy storage levels can be useful in future electricity grids. These technologies work best in a similar setup done in Ontario that paved the way for a steady supply of emissions-free nuclear power, meaning in systems with a regular supply of baseload electricity that is nature-friendly and clean.
A report entitled Store of Value found that the demand for reliable and clean electricity can be assured by the ability to store energy from nuclear and other low-carbon sources. The position of Huron, Gray, and Bruce’s Clean Energy Frontier made it possible to create a new energy storage capacity. This is done through having more investments that help in extending the reactors’ shelf-life at the Bruce plant.
Bruce Power Center for New Nuclear & Net Zero Partnerships’ director, Chad Richards, said that to match the changes in the electricity demand, it is necessary to store baseload energy from nuclear and tap on the reserve whenever needed. He relayed his optimism about the existence of a handful of solutions made and situated in Ontario intended to accomplish the demand for energy storage.
The report added that more energy storage and nuclear sources would provide a clean alternative to electricity system operators to what they currently employ – the use of gas-fired electricity.
Bruce Power’s Chief Development Officer and Executive Vice-President of Operational Service, James Scongack, noted that the nuclear output of the company is considered Ontario’s backbone of the clean electricity grid. It can provide the whole province with baseload electricity that is emissions-free, reliable, and stable.
