Court dismisses appeal against Darlington refurbishment
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Canada's Federal Court of Appeal has unanimously dismissed a judicial review of the environmental assessment (EA) for Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) planned refurbishment of the Darlington nuclear power plant. The lawsuit was brought by groups led by Greenpeace Canada. Canada's Federal Court of Appeal has unanimously dismissed a judicial review of the environmental assessment (EA) for Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) planned refurbishment of the Darlington nuclear power plant. The lawsuit was brought by groups led by Greenpeace Canada.
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| Darlington: refurbishment to start in October (Image: OPG) |
The court found that there were no gaps or errors in the 2013 EA, which determined the project would have no significant adverse effects on the public or the environment. It also found that there was "nothing unreasonable" about determinations made by the responsible authorities that reviewed the EA, and found that arguments brought by the intervenors were not borne out by evidence.
Greenpeace Canada, the Canadian Environmental Law Association, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper and Northwatch had brought the appeal against a November 2014 federal court decision to dismiss their application for judicial review.
OPG president and chief nuclear officer Glenn Jager said that the court decision was a "vote of confidence" in the quality of work that went into the EA application and in the licensing process. "We have been preparing for this project since 2009, and we're ready to deliver the job safely, on time and on budget", he said.
OPG announced the CAD 12.8 billion ($9 billion) project to refurbish the four Darlington Candu units in January, after nine years of scoping work and detailed planning. The refurbishment of the first unit will begin in October, and the project will take ten years to complete for all the units. Refurbishment will enable the units, which supply about 20% of Ontario's electricity, to continue to operate for a further 30 years.
Researched and written
by World Nuclear News
