Pickering
Pickering, ON·CANDU
Reactor Data
Reactor Units
Every power reactor at this site as listed in the IAEA Power Reactor Information System (PRIS): reactor type and model, net electrical capacity, grid connection and commercial operation dates, and current status.
8 units: 4 operational, 4 permanent shutdown.
Net capacity in service: 2,064 MWe.
| Unit | Type | Model | Net MWe | Construction | Grid | Commercial Op | Shutdown | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pickering 1 | PHWR | CANDU 500A | 515 | 1966-06-01 | 1971-04-04 | 1971-07-29 | 2024-10-01 | Permanent Shutdown |
| Pickering 2 | PHWR | CANDU 500A | 515 | 1966-09-01 | 1971-10-06 | 1971-12-30 | 2007-05-28 | Permanent Shutdown |
| Pickering 3 | PHWR | CANDU 500A | 515 | 1967-12-01 | 1972-05-03 | 1972-06-01 | 2008-10-31 | Permanent Shutdown |
| Pickering 4 | PHWR | CANDU 500A | 515 | 1968-05-01 | 1973-05-21 | 1973-06-17 | 2024-12-31 | Permanent Shutdown |
| Pickering 5 | PHWR | CANDU 500B | 516 | 1974-11-01 | 1982-12-19 | 1983-05-10 | Operational | |
| Pickering 6 | PHWR | CANDU 500B | 516 | 1975-10-01 | 1983-11-08 | 1984-02-01 | Operational | |
| Pickering 7 | PHWR | CANDU 500B | 516 | 1976-03-01 | 1984-11-17 | 1985-01-01 | Operational | |
| Pickering 8 | PHWR | CANDU 500B | 516 | 1976-09-01 | 1986-01-21 | 1986-02-28 | Operational |
Capacity, milestones and suppliers
| Unit | Design MWe | Gross MWe | Thermal MWt | First Criticality | Reactor Supplier | Turbine Supplier | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pickering 1 | 508 | 542 | 1,744 | 1971-02-25 | ONTARIO HYDRO / ATOMIC ENERGY OF CANADA, LTD. | NEI PARSONS | Suspended 1997-12-31; Restarted 2005-09-26 |
| Pickering 2 | 508 | 542 | 1,744 | 1971-09-15 | ONTARIO HYDRO / ATOMIC ENERGY OF CANADA, LTD. | NEI PARSONS | Suspended 1997-12-31; Restarted 2007-05-28 |
| Pickering 3 | 508 | 542 | 1,744 | 1972-04-24 | ONTARIO HYDRO / ATOMIC ENERGY OF CANADA, LTD. | NEI PARSONS | Suspended 1997-12-29; Restarted 2008-10-31 |
| Pickering 4 | 508 | 542 | 1,744 | 1973-05-16 | ONTARIO HYDRO / ATOMIC ENERGY OF CANADA, LTD. | NEI PARSONS | Suspended 1998-01-02; Restarted 2003-09-21 |
| Pickering 5 | 516 | 540 | 1,744 | 1982-10-23 | ONTARIO HYDRO / ATOMIC ENERGY OF CANADA, LTD. | NEI PARSONS | |
| Pickering 6 | 516 | 540 | 1,744 | 1983-10-15 | ONTARIO HYDRO / ATOMIC ENERGY OF CANADA, LTD. | ONTARIO HYDRO / ATOMIC ENERGY OF CANADA, LTD. | |
| Pickering 7 | 516 | 540 | 1,744 | 1984-10-22 | ONTARIO HYDRO / ATOMIC ENERGY OF CANADA, LTD. | NEI PARSONS | |
| Pickering 8 | 516 | 540 | 1,744 | 1985-12-17 | ONTARIO HYDRO / ATOMIC ENERGY OF CANADA, LTD. | NEI PARSONS |
Lifetime performance, through 2025
| Unit | Electricity Supplied | Load Factor | Energy Availability | Operating Factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pickering 1 | 138.2 TWh | 67.0% | 69.0% | 70.3% |
| Pickering 2 | 71.4 TWh | 60.3% | 62.4% | 62.5% |
| Pickering 3 | 80.0 TWh | 68.9% | 70.6% | 70.7% |
| Pickering 4 | 143.3 TWh | 69.1% | 69.2% | 72.3% |
| Pickering 5 | 143.8 TWh | 74.3% | 74.5% | 78.0% |
| Pickering 6 | 150.1 TWh | 78.8% | 78.9% | 81.5% |
| Pickering 7 | 146.1 TWh | 78.6% | 78.6% | 81.1% |
| Pickering 8 | 137.6 TWh | 76.3% | 76.4% | 79.5% |
Operator: Ontario Power Generation
Owner: Ontario Power Generation
Source: IAEA Power Reactor Information System (PRIS), as of 2026-10-19.
Fuel Cycle Facilities
Fuel cycle plants at this site, as listed in the IAEA Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities Database: what each plant does, its scale and design capacity, the years it operated, its current status and who operates it.
1 facility: 1 in operation.
| Facility | Type | Scale | Design Capacity | Operated | Status | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pickering Waste Management Facility | AFR Dry Spent Fuel Storage | Commercial | 1758 Cask-Bund. | 1996– | In Operation | Ontario Power Generation |
Source: IAEA Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities Database (NFCFDB), as of 2026-10-13.
Working Here
Per Diem Rates FY 2026
Per diem covers lodging and meals & incidental expenses (M&IE) for government and contractor travel near this facility. Rates are from the U.S. State Department foreign per diem tables for FY 2026.
$167
Lodging/Night
$120
M&IE/Day
$287
Total/Day
Canada: rate for locations the State Department does not list separately
U.S. Department of State foreign per diem, for U.S. government and contractor travel.
Photos
Photos of this facility from the NukeWorker photo gallery. Click the header or any photo to browse the full album.
Facility Map
Interactive satellite map showing the facility's geographic location. Marker color indicates current status: green for online, red for offline, orange for reduced power. Click the header to open in Google Maps satellite view.
43.8083, -79.0654
Location & Contact
Physical address, phone number, and website for this facility. Use the directions link to get driving directions via Google Maps.
NukeWorker Member Ratings 7 votes
Community ratings from NukeWorker members. Vote to share your experience working at this facility. Score uses a Bayesian average that accounts for vote count — facilities with few votes are pulled toward the fleet average, so rankings reflect confidence, not just raw percentages.
Above Average
1 (14%)
Average
3 (42%)
Below Average
3 (42%)
Plant Facts
About This Site
Written by NukeWorker from public records: facts that do not change. Operator, status and capacity come from the live data elsewhere on this page. Sources: Wikipedia: Pickering Nuclear Generating Station.
Pickering is a nuclear power station on the north shore of Lake Ontario at Pickering, in Durham Region, Ontario.
Read more
Ontario Hydro built it in stages between 1965 and 1986, with eight CANDU reactors supplied by AECL: Pickering A and Pickering B. Construction of Unit 1 began on 1 June 1966 and Unit 8 on 1 September 1976. On 1 August 1983 a pressure tube in Unit 2 split, and the reactor was shut down safely. The four Pickering A units were laid up on 31 December 1997. Unit 4 restarted in September 2003 and Unit 1 in November 2005. Units 2 and 3 were permanently shut down in 2007 and 2008, Unit 1 on 1 October 2024 and Unit 4 on 31 December 2024.
Technical Specs
Reactor design specifications including type (PWR/BWR), containment design, nuclear steam supply system manufacturer, thermal and electrical power ratings, and current operational status.
Reactor Type:
CANDU