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In his first official announcement as Minister of Energy and Electrification, Stephen Lecce was at Darlington to share that (OPG) has completed the first phase of site preparation for the first Small Modular Reactor (SMR) in Canada and the G7 and will now embark on the second phase of the project.

The site in Clarington, Ont. is currently being transitioned to construction partner, to allow for main site preparation to begin, said Lecce in a press conference June 13

The work includes excavation, the construction of shoring walls and land clearance for three additional units.

“I’m pleased to officially announce today that the first phase of site preparations work for the small modular reactor has been completed again on time and on budget,” said Lecce. “To maintain this forward momentum, I am officially announcing the start of the next phase, phase two, as we work to build small modular reactors to energize our province, our country and literally the world.”

Lecce swapped positions with former energy minister Todd Smith late last week. Smith is now the minister of education.

Trade mission to Romania a success, says Lecce

In his address, Lecce also talked about the successful completion of trade missions to Romania and France with Smith, in which they were able to secure significant deals that “will support Ontario’s economy and workforce.”

The mission included the signing of new agreements with SN Nuclearelectrica S.A. (SNN) in Romania and Stellarex in France.

Lecce and Smith met with Romanian Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja for the signing of a $360 million agreement between OPG subsidiary Canadian Nuclear Partners and Romanian energy company SNN for support on the refurbishment of Romania’s Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1.

“It was just a few a days ago after my appointment that I flew to Romania with one mission in mind: to secure a deal that will advance our economy, create jobs for our workers and further solidify Ontario as a global leader in clean energy and this work is critical,” said Lecce.

“It’s why my mandate is to scale up and to build upon our plan, an ambitious plan, to produce clean and affordable energy to fuel our growth now and well into the future.

“That includes exporting Ontario nuclear ingenuity technology and innovation to the world to grow economies around the world while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Ontario and Canada’s nuclear leadership can be the solution to the challenges so many governments around the world are facing.”

In France, Smith joined OPG and Stellarex, a fusion technology company, for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to explore opportunities for the development and deployment of fusion energy in Ontario.

‘All forms of energy needed to fuel growing economy’

When asked why the ministry’s name was changed to include electrification, Lecce said the premier’s vision is to ensure energy infrastructure is being built to meet the demands of the economy.

“The reality is we need more energy and the mission of government is to build upon Ontario’s already ambitious plan to scale up our energy using all forms, be it nuclear and natural gas and renewables, where you need to take an all-of-the-above approach to build for the future,” Lecce responded. “The emphasis for our ministry will be expanding affordable, reliable and of course, clean energy for the people of Ontario.

“What we will not do, and I cannot underscore this enough, is we will not pursue a path, an ideological path, that will deny some forms of energy when we need all of them to help fuel our economy because we are growing.”

In Ontario, he said, the Liberal Party introduced legislation that would deny natural gas to the homes in Ontario.

“There is no alternative, we need nuclear and natural gas to be part of our mix,” said Lecce.

“We’re supporting all forms of energy including renewables because we are going to need all of that. We need all forms of energy in order to build our province.”

When asked if wind turbines and solar are back on the table, Lecce said the government is “technology agnostic” but didn’t specifically respond to the question.

“We support all forms of technology that can help us fuel and grow our economy,” Lecce noted.

“It’s going to be done through competitive procurement. We will support any form of energy that allows us to deliver affordable, reliable energy to fuel our growth.”