On 8 May Ontario Power Generation received final approval from the Province of Ontario to build North America’s first commercial, grid-scale SMR. Located at OPG’s Darlington site it will be Ontario’s first new nuclear build in more than three decades.
The first of four SMRs is expected to be in service by the end of 2030. Once in service the first BWRX-300 SMR unit will be capable of generating 300 MW of low-carbon, power; in total, OPG’s SMR fleet will be producing 1200 MW of electricity to help support Ontario’s electrification, while serving as a growth platform for Canada’s nuclear supply chain.
“This is truly a historic moment,” said Nicolle Butcher, OPG’s President and CEO. “With the province’s robust nuclear supply chain and our successful track record on nuclear projects, particularly our Darlington refurbishment, we are confident we will be able to deliver the first SMR unit for Ontario, on time and on budget. “With the province’s robust nuclear supply chain and our successful track record on nuclear projects, particularly our Darlington refurbishment, we are confident we will be able to deliver the first SMR unit for Ontario, on-time and on-budget.”
The economic impact of this project is expected to be huge. Deploying and operating four SMRs is expected to increase Canada’s GDP by $38.5 billion over 65 years, according to the Conference Board of Canada.
Preparation
To aid a successful build out, OPG will be reviewing thousands of lessons learned from its Darlington refurbishment project, which remains on track to be completed by 2026.
Since 2022, crews have been installing various utilities, including fire lines, water lines, sanitary sewer lines, and network cabling, and excavating for the reactor building shaft – a critical milestone – in preparation for construction of the reactor building. To support a fleet of SMRs, and secure several long-lead items, including the reactor pressure vessel have been progressed. As the SMR’s largest component at 30m, and weighing 550 tonnes, the vessel will contain the reactor core, coolant, and support structures.
Meanwhile, the generator rotor – a key component of the turbine-generator system that converts heat from the reactor into electrical power – has been forged and is now undergoing pre-machining. It is expected to arrive at the project site by summer 2027.
