Early preparation activities will soon begin at the site of Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG’s) future Small Modular Reactor at the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station.

OPG announced on March 10 that it had awarded a contract worth $32 million to Niagara Falls contractor E.S. Fox Limited for the first phase of site preparation and support infrastructure for the Darlington New Nuclear Project.

Infrastructure work under the contract includes bringing water, electrical power and information technology services, as well as roads, to the site. The work is expected to create 100 jobs, and will begin later this year when OPG receives the required permits and regulatory approvals.

“This early work sets the stage for deployment of the type of clean, safe new electricity generation Ontario needs as demand begins to rise due to electrification,” said OPG president and CEO Ken Hartwick. “We look forward to seeing the site begin to take shape, with help from trusted partner E.S. Fox, as OPG paves the way for the next generation of nuclear power in Ontario.”

“We are proud to partner together with OPG as early work begins for the planned Darlington Small Modular Reactor,” said Spencer Fox, E.S. Fox President. “We are honoured to be a part of this project and look forward to breaking ground and laying the foundation for OPG to safely set new standards in the global nuclear power generation industry for the benefit of all Ontarians.”

In December, OPG announced it would work with GE Hitachi to work toward constructing Canada’s first commercial, grid-scale SMR. OPG will need further regulatory approvals from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission before it can begin any SMR construction work.

The Darlington New Nuclear Project is the only site in Canada with an accepted Environmental Assessment and site preparation licence, the first in a series of licences required to build a new nuclear generating facility. The station is one of the top-performing nuclear stations in the world and generates about 20 percent of Ontario’s electricity each day.

The Darlington SMR will provide a critical new source of clean nuclear generated power for Ontario’s future projected energy needs – a demand widely expected to ramp up as transportation and other sectors electrify.

A single SMR of about 300 megawatts in size can prevent between 0.3 megatonnes and 2 megatonnes of greenhouse gases emissions per year, depending on where it is located and what kind of power it is displacing.