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Nicolle Butcher of Ontario Power Generation: Innovating for Hydro on Both Sides of the Border
Nicolle Butcher visits OPG’s Sir Adam Beck Generating Station in August 2020.
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Hydro Leader: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position.
14 | HYDRO LEADER | July/August 2021
Nicolle Butcher: My background is actually in finance, and I have an MBA, but I have been with OPG for a little over 20 years. I have moved throughout a number of different areas in the company, including corporate, thermal, and nuclear. My most recent position before my current one was as the corporate business development and strategy lead. During my time in that position, we pursued a growth strategy that led to a number of acquisitions in the United States related to hydro. After we completed those over the last 3–4 years, it was something of a natural transition for me to go into our hydro operations and learn more about our operations in Ontario, while still retaining accountability for our acquisitions in the United States. Hydro Leader: Please tell us about OPG. Nicolle Butcher: OPG has about 20,000 MW of capacity, primarily nuclear and hydro. We also have some thermal generation, since as a part of the acquisition process I hydroleadermagazine.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF OPG.
ydropower has and will continue to play in important role in the United States and Canada as renewable energy is increasingly prioritized in both countries. To meet self-imposed or government-mandated renewable energy goals while satisfying increasing demands for energy, hydro providers will need to innovate to maximize every megawatt (MW) of power and minimize harmful environmental effects. Ontario Power Generation (OPG) is a Canadian electricity producer that is striving to do exactly that by expanding its portfolio to more forms of energy, with assets in both Canada and the United States. In this article, Nicolle Butcher, OPG’s senior vice president for renewable generation and power marketing, tells Hydro Leader how the company’s portfolio and strategies have evolved, how OPG is working with stakeholders to meet current and future challenges, and about the importance of inspiring and providing opportunity for the next generation of hydro leaders.
