Plans to expand Ontario's Darlington nuclear power station do not pose a significant threat to the environment, according to an independent review submitted to the federal environment minister on Thursday.
The review panel said it had made 67 recommendations to address environmental and health effects of the Darlington project, as well as waste management and readiness to cope with an emergency.
Plans call for up to four new reactors at the Darlington nuclear power station on Lake Ontario, east of Toronto. The plant currently has four units with a total output of 3,512 megawatts, providing enough electricity to serve a city of two million people, according to operator Ontario Power Generation.
The expansion plan is part of the Ontario government's C$33 billion ($33.3 billion) 20-year energy plan introduced late last year, as it looks to close coal-fired plants and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The review panel was appointed by the federal Environment Department and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission in October 2009. The federal government will be responsible for final approval of the Darlington project.
Ontario, Canada's most populous province, is generally regarded as a region of low seismic activity. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has said it is confident in the safety of the country's reactors, which came under further scrutiny after Japan's nuclear meltdown earlier this year.
