Ontario is forging ahead with its plan to keep the aging 1980s reactors of the Pickering B nuclear station generating electricity for up to 38 years with a $26.8 billion refurbishment amid forecasts of soaring demand for power.

Pending approvals from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, the massive project will begin in early 2027 with completion about 10 years from now, Energy Minister Stephen Lecce said Wednesday at the plant on Lake Ontario just east of Toronto.

“Extending the life of the facility will create jobs for tens of thousands of skilled workers,” he said in a statement.

In addition to 6,700 jobs at the plant, the refurbishment will employ about 30,000 people.

Lecce’s predecessor as energy minister, Todd Smith, telegraphed the project in January 2024, getting the ball

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