The CEO of Bruce Power recently made the case in a Canadian newspaper that his company should take over reactors operated by publicly owned Ontario Power Generation
Together, the two companies operate 18 of Canada's 19 power reactors. In a recent interview with the Toronto Sun editorial board, Duncan Hawthorne said he is interested in acquiring the Darlington and Pickering nuclear plants, arguing that a privatization effort that created Bruce Power 14 years ago has proven itself and should expand further. He was critical of OPG's leadership, saying it has allowed the organization to underperform. He also said that bringing the plants under a single entity would create economies of scale and simplify plans to refurbish ten of the Candu reactors operated by the companies. Placing OPG's plants in private hands would result in less public oversight of their operator, but Hawthorne said the plants would benefit from being accountable to shareholders.
According to the World Nuclear Association, the companies' reactors, plus New Brunswick Power's Point Lepreau plant, generate about 15 percent of Canada's electricity. The Bruce plant operates eight Candu units, while OPG operates six units at Pickering and four units at Darlington.