Christopher Adlam

Network Engineer, IT Director, firearms enthusiast, Director - about Nuclear Energy, Hydro-Electric and music. Centrist.

[Christopher Adlam @cadlam]

Thread: Pumped storage seems to be all the rage for "firming" renewables. This ran through my head last night and I got thinking, what's the scale required? /1

[Ontario Energy Stats @ONEnergyStats]

Rolling 14-day Ontario power mix🦇🎃🧙♀️👻:

[Bruce Power NGS @Bruce_Power]

It’s #NuclearScienceWeek, and we’re celebrating Canadian nuclear innovation! 🍁

Developed right here in Canada, CANDU technology is supported by Canadian suppliers and experts and uses natural uranium, a fuel Canada produces domestically. It’s a homegrown success story that continues to support long-term energy security.

#NuclearSciWeek #NuclearEnergy #CANDU

[Ontario Power Gen @opg]

Catch up on all things OPG with The Grid, our e-newsletter. ​

In this issue, learn about how we’re preparing to execute Ontario’s next major nuclear refurbishment at Pickering Nuclear, watch a momentous lift for Canada’s first Small Modular Reactor, and dive into compelling stories, captivating photos, and more. ​

Explore the stories shaping what’s next. Explore The Grid and subscribe for future issues: https://t.co/YPXVNkDb0u

[Ontario Energy Stats @ONEnergyStats]

Rolling 14-day Ontario power mix🦇🎃🧙♀️👻:

[Bruce Power NGS @Bruce_Power]

Nuclear science is Canadian science. 🍁

From uranium mining to research, innovation and nuclear generation across the country, Canada’s nuclear footprint reaches further than you might think.

This #NuclearScienceWeek, we’re going Canadian. Follow along as we explore how nuclear science is powering communities, advancing innovation and contributing to the fight against cancer.

#NuclearSciWeek #KnowNuclear #LoveNuclear #NuclearEnergy

[Christopher Adlam @cadlam]

Keep in mind that EverWind owes the government of Newfoundland money already for a previous "green hydrogen" deal. The economics of "green hydrogen" have been broadly criticized, including in multiple articles in the Halifax Examiner.

It smells a lot like a subsidy harvesting scheme for vapourware (the hydrogen stuff), while securing a PPA (they have been supporting talks about sleeved PPA's with the NS government) for the energy generated from their wind farms so that if those get built, no matter what they power, they are guaranteed to make money.

https://t.co/Y06pwtWifu

[Ontario Energy Stats @ONEnergyStats]

Rolling 14-day Ontario power mix🦇🎃🧙♀️👻:

[Christopher Adlam @cadlam]

Oh hey, @MSFT365Status your Exchange Online Mail flow reports page has a an extra "s" in "issues" on the Mail flow map report:

[Christopher Adlam @cadlam]

Interesting, my primary O365 tenant (us) received 1,650 phishes from September 18th through October 17th. For the same period, 15 were detected as containing malware. Total inbound mail volume was 28,068 messages, so roughly 5.9% were phishing.

This tenant domain is probably 25 years old, which may be a factor.

[Christopher Adlam @cadlam]

@cmonstan @brianlilley @MayorOliviaChow @BradMBradford @BobRae48 I guess it depends on what metrics you hold important. Rae's economic record was poorer than Harris's, but Harris sold off the 407, and of course we had Walkerton. I would argue both were equally bad, just in different ways.

[Christopher Adlam @cadlam]

@cmonstan @brianlilley @MayorOliviaChow @BradMBradford @BobRae48 Rae destroyed Ontario Hydro (through Maurice Strong), and setup its break-up, which was completed under Harris. That was certainly disastrous.

[Cold Air @ScottLuft]

good news #2:
court rules against an unproductive appeal to UNDRIP to allow the unhinged to block a project hundreds of km away with no possible impacts on them
https://t.co/eh7dFg7Nw8

[Cold Air @ScottLuft]

Good news #1: The OEB and its expert consultants snuck out new regulated price plan rates late Friday afternoon.
1st impression is this performative act avoided the idiocy of recent years
ON costs will still go up a little as the OER subsidy will drop to counteract the new rates

[Ontario Energy Stats @ONEnergyStats]

Rolling 14-day Ontario power mix🦇🎃🧙♀️👻:

#FollowFriday Friendly Canadian🍁 Electricity Bot Network🤖 @skelectricity @nlelectricity @nselectricity @nbeelectricity @qcelectricity @ReliableAB

[Christopher Adlam @cadlam]

You have not been following this nor the disconnect between what OPG's asks have been (which the OCAA have been making hay over) vs what the OEB has approved.

If you want to build, you have to make that palatable for the people that are paying for it, so yes, the "making it look better" absolutely plays a role, otherwise the government behind the project gets tossed out on its ear by those same people and it doesn't get built. See the GEA for what that looks like in practice.

Hydro-Quebec understands this, and Ontario Hydro did too, that's why they used debt financing.

Instead of trying to have a constructive conversation on this however, you launched into an attack on me, going after my character and motivations, which you won't be doing again, at least not on my profile. I don't have the time, or patience for that crap.

[Christopher Adlam @cadlam]

The reason for the rate ask is threefold:

1. OPG breaks up billing for each segment; each generator has their own rate, so if investment is being made, it is not borne by other sources (hydro, gas).

2. OPG has one operating nuclear plant presently, Darlington A, at 3,512MW. That output has to cover the plant's OPEX (~$40/MWh) plus the SMR new build, plus the Pickering refurbishment.

3. OPG is trying to avoid debt (which is why they previously asked for more and were denied). While the $100-110/MWh they were paid for the combined output of Pickering and Darlington was able to cover the $12.8bn refurb cost for Darlington in a "pay as you go" fashion, this is not the case for the $27bn Pickering refurb, carried only by Darlington's output.

As a ratepayer, and a fan of public power, I think this is a bad move. We should be allowing some debt here to keep rates at a level that doesn't needlessly provide ammunition for groups like the OCAA.

[Heather Exner-Pirot @ExnerPirot]

“The unprecedented investments required to maintain and expand Ontario’s electricity infrastructure, while essential to ensuring a reliable supply of power, will place enormous additional pressure on electricity bills in the years ahead.”
This is true everywhere and we should start being honest about it.

[Christopher Adlam @cadlam]

On Tuesday, October 13th, 2026, @CanadiansEnergy and the Canadian nuclear community suffered a tremendous loss with the passing of my dear friend of 25 years @jules_besseling.

Jules played a critical role in the development of our CNSC license extension submission for @opg Pickering, with his decades of expertise in pressure tube design and aging informing the main points of the article.

Jules was an active member on the @BWXT Community Liaison Committee here in Peterborough, his presence and vitality will be sorely missed. https://t.co/CWAzGKSsmH

[Christopher Adlam @cadlam]

Yes, if we are forward-looking, we need to realize that money will need to be borrowed, and that money paid back (rates). I thought the "pay as you go" plan for Darlington was a good approach when used, as it was able to spread the cost of the refurb, with a nominal rider, over the output of both Darlington and Pickering, avoiding debt at the time.

But then we added the SMR project. And then Pickering was completely shutdown for refurb, rather than a phased approach used like at Darlington.

That's not going to work for these higher CAPEX projects, and it doesn't need to be done that way.

A balance between reasonable rates, and reasonable, temporary debt, will need to be struck in order to make these projects happen.

[Christopher Adlam @cadlam]

You know absolutely nothing about me Harris, or my motivations.

Large infrastructure is generally funded through debt. Hydro-Quebec holds $65.6 billion in long-term debit as an example.

Borrowing, temporarily, until Pickering is back online to pay off its refurb costs is logical, unlike your insane rant here.

[Ontario Power Gen @opg]

As Pickering Nuclear prepares for its refurbishment, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the station’s remarkable legacy.
For decades, the station's people have powered Ontario, helped achieve major milestones, all while producing countless megawatts of reliable, clean electricity. From the original “A” side, home to Units 1–4, to the newer “B” side, which houses Units 5–8 and is scheduled to begin refurbishment next year, pending regulatory approval, Pickering has been a powerhouse in every sense of the word.
Take a quick look back at the decades of memories, achievements, and people that helped make Pickering one of the world’s best-performing nuclear stations and learn more: https://t.co/hwzUJuNbrN

[Ontario Energy Stats @ONEnergyStats]

Rolling 14-day Ontario power mix🦇🎃🧙♀️👻: