Construction is officially underway on Canada’s first grid-scale small modular reactor (SMR) at Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) Darlington nuclear site.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford was among those on hand at the Clarington site on December 2 to mark the start of site preparation work.

“With global businesses looking to expand in jurisdictions with clean and cost-effective electricity, small modular reactors will help compete for and attract more game-changing investments in Ontario’s economy,” said Ford. “Our government is getting it done and building the future of nuclear energy right here in Ontario to support the needs of our growing province.”

In March of 2022, Niagara-based E.S. Fox was awarded the contract to deliver early site preparation work, including water supply, electrical power, information technology and road services, paving the way for the SMR to be constructed by 2028. The work, which is valued at $32 million, will support more than 100 new jobs in the Durham region.

“Ontario is clearly leading the world when it comes to new nuclear technologies,” said Energy Minister Todd Smith. “The Darlington SMR, part of our larger plan to ensure a reliable, affordable and clean electricity system, will ensure that we have the electricity we need to support our success in driving electrification and attracting new jobs to the province including unprecedented investments, from electric vehicles and battery manufacturing to clean steelmaking.”

The new SMR at Darlington will be Ontario’s first nuclear reactor build in a generation. This project is expected to deliver 300 MW of electricity – enough to power 300,000 homes.

In December 2021, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy was named as OPG’s technology development partner to deploy a BWRX-300 SMR at the Darlington new nuclear site.

Ontario currently has 15 nuclear reactors in operation – and three reactors under refurbishment – at three sites, providing more than 50 percent of the province’s clean electricity. The Darlington SMR will be the first new reactor in the province since 1993.