Ontario Power Generation has taken the next step in a lengthy process to build a small modular reactor (SMR) at its Darlington nuclear plant.

The energy operator announced on October 31 that it had submitted an application for a licence to construct to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). The application is the next step in the deployment of an SMR at the Darlington site.

The licence is required before any nuclear construction work on the SMR at Darlington can begin.

Site preparation work, which consists of non-nuclear infrastructure activities, such as clearing and grading a portion of the new nuclear site to build roads, utilities and support buildings, began last month. It is planned to continue into 2025.

The licence to construct application was developed collaboratively between OPG and GE Hitachi, which designed BWRX-300 SMR. The application is comprised of a number of information packages that will be submitted to the CNSC in sequence, over the next six months.

According to the CNSC, a Licence to Construct requires an applicant to demonstrate that the design of the proposed facility "conforms to regulatory requirements and will provide for safe operation over the proposed plant life, and responsibility for all activities pertaining to design, procurement, manufacturing, construction and commissioning."

Its regulatory review process includes opportunities for Indigenous Nations and Communities and the public to discuss the application, ask questions and raise areas of interest, OPG said, culminating in a public hearing, held by the CNSC. This is likely to take place in 2024.

The project scope calls for the site preparation, construction, operation, decommissioning and abandonment of up to four new nuclear reactors at the existing Darlington site, with the goal of generating approximately 1,200 megawatts of electricity.

The Darlington site is the only site in Canada currently licensed for a new nuclear build, with an accepted environmental assessment and site preparation licence. OPG expects to make a construction decision by the end of 2024 and has set a preliminary target date of 2028 for plant operations.

A 2020 study by the Conference Board of Canada suggests the construction and operation of a single SMR facility could yield and annual average of 700 jobs during project development, 1,600 jobs during manufacturing and construction, 200 jobs during operations, and 160 jobs during decommissioning.

The BWRX-300 is a 300 MWe water-cooled, natural circulation SMR with passive safety systems that leverages the design and licensing basis of GEH's ESBWR boiling water reactor. It is currently undergoing a CNSC pre-licensing Vendor Design Review.

The Canada Infrastructure Bank recently committed $970 million towards the Darlington New Nuclear Project. The investment is the CIB’s largest in clean power to date, providing financial certainty and signalling federal support for the project.