The future will be bright for nuclear power in Ontario if the Progressive Conservatives win the provincial election in October, party leader John Tory said.

Tory said Wednesday night that, if elected, his party would move quickly to increase the number of nuclear power plants in the province, to meet future energy needs and help curb the use of polluting coal-fired plants.

He accused Premier Dalton McGuinty's Liberal government of purposely underestimating the number of generating stations needed in Ontario for fear of a backlash from people who oppose nuclear power.

"They dithered on it and now we're in trouble," Tory said after a fundraising speech in Toronto Wednesday.

"I think we're going to need a lot more than what they're doing both in terms of the speed and the quantity…."

Tory, who called nuclear power "safe, affordable and greenhouse-gas free," said Ontario needs more than the two additional nuclear plants currently planned by the Liberals.

He would not estimate how many additional plants a Conservative government might build.

Tory also said he wouldn't be averse to private companies, such as Bruce Power, building and operating the stations — which would be a first in Ontario.

"If somebody like Bruce Power wants to put forward a proposal that they would do some of this and help us get it done, then I am willing to listen to this," he said.

Tory said he believes the future of nuclear power in Ontario will become an issue in the campaign leading up to the Oct. 10 election.

An Ipsos Reid poll released in January found the environment had jumped to second place on Ontarians' list of concerns, from its typical spot of eighth or ninth.