hydro pole

It’s a move that could impact your wallet.

Ontario Power Generation has applied for a whopping 69 per cent increase in the amount it is paid for nuclear power over the next five years.

OPG says it needs the increase to help pay for the $12.8-billion refurbishment of the Darlington nuclear station, which the government announced in January to extend the life of the reactors by another 30 years.

The government-owned utility is also asking for a small increase, less than the rate of inflation, in the rate it’s paid for hydro-electric power.

OPG spokesman Neal Kelly says if the entire request is approved, it would increase a typical household electricity bill an average of $1.05 a month annually in each of the next five years, to $5.25 a month in 2022.

The Ontario Energy Board will hold a public hearing into OPG’s rate increase application, but Kelley says he doesn’t expect a decision until mid-2017.

(The Canadian Press)