David Tyndall, Ontario Power Generation

For this week’s Gener8 episode we turned our conversation to our neighbors to the North as we were joined by David Tyndall, Director of New Build Engineering, for Ontario Power Generation (OPG). OPG operates one for the largest low emissions electricity grids in the world and has recently announced plans for expanded deployment of new nuclear technology to increase their clean energy generation capacity. Dave joined us to share insights around how OPG has gotten where it is today, why they’re thinking about the future the way they are, and what challenges are on the horizons for them.

Our conversation began with Dave offering some level-setting for us on what the electricity reliability and grid discussions are like in Canada as contrasted with some of the recent challenges the United States has faced in Texas, California, and elsewhere. We then discussed how OPG got to be so reliant on nuclear and hydroelectric energy sources as well as Dave’s personal history and experiences within the company. OPG is also currently engaged in one of the largest, most successful western nuclear projects in the world as it pursues refurbishment of some of its existing CANDU reactor assets, a multi-billion dollar, multi-year effort, and Dave shared insights as to what has driven OPG’s success therein. Finally, we closed our conversation out with a discussion around why newer advanced nuclear technology might be right for OPG and what collaboration looks like across other Canadian nuclear operators and governments.

We learned a lot about why Ontario’s grid has evolved the way it has and where it might be going in the future and it’s a fascinating case study in how commitment and planning can lead to success. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.