The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday, Jan. 13, edition that Ontario Power Generation wants to nearly double its payments for electricity from nuclear plants, which could result in higher power bills. The Globe's Matthew McClearn writes that in a December rate application to the Ontario Energy Board, OPG requested nearly $207 per megawatt hour from its nuclear power stations starting Jan. 1, 2027, about double what it received last year, seeking similar rates through 2031. OPG spokesman Neal Kelly stated that the proposed rates would raise a typical residential customer's monthly bill by about $3.50 over the next five years, averaging roughly 2.4 per cent annually. OPG is entering a period of intense capital spending. Last year, it began constructing the first of four new small modular reactors at its Darlington station, with an estimated cost of $20.9-billion. OPG said that project accounts for about one-quarter of the sought payment increases. The current trajectory for power rates has attracted concern from the Association of Major Power Consumers in Ontario, which represents industrial power users including automakers Ford Motor and Toyota Motor, and steel producers Stelco and ArcelorMittal Dofasco.