Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has awarded a contract to Fluor for the procurement and construction of refurbishment work at the 3500MW Darlington nuclear generating station located in Clarington, within the Regional Municipality of Durham, in the Province of Ontario, Canada.
The contract calls for the replacement of existing emergency power generators for Units 1 and 2 as they are nearing the end of their design life. The work is part of the site safety and infrastructure projects at the site.
Commissioned in early 1990’s, the Darlington station is currently being refurbished with an investment of $12.8bn to increase the generation capacity and allow operations for an additional 25-30 years.
The 10-year refurbishment project involves removal, replacement and repairing of critical components which include the fuel channels, calandria tubes and feeders, steam generators, turbine generators, fuel handling systems and other ancillary plant equipment in each of the four reactors at the power plant.
Each of the four reactors of the Darlington station is planned to be taken out of service to allow for the replacement of fuel channels, feeder pipes, calandria tubes and end fittings.
Fluor’s Power business president Simon Nottingham said: “The Darlington refurbishment program represents a significant investment in Ontario’s economy and environment.
The upgrade project is expected to help extend each of the reactor’s operational life to up to 2055, contributing a total of $90bn to Ontario’s GDP.
Earlier, Ontario Minister of Energy Glenn Thibeault said that the Darlington facility refurbishment project will create up to 11,800 jobs annually while contributing nearly $15bn to Ontario’s economy.
Upon completion of the upgrade project in 2026, the average cost of power generated from the Darlington facility is estimated to range between $72/MWh and $81MWh.
Image: The Darlington nuclear generating station in Ontario, Canada. Photo: courtesy of Business Wire/Fluor Corporation.