If granted regulatory approvals by the Ontario Government and the CNSC, the additional SMRs at the Darlington New Nuclear Project have the potential to become operational between 2034 and 2036
The Darlington New Nuclear Project will have four BWRX-300 SMRs from GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy. (Credit: GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy)
The Ontario government in Canada announced that the capacity of the Darlington New Nuclear Project will be expanded to 1.2GW with the addition of three more BWRX-300 small modular reactors (SMRs) from GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH).
In this connection, the provincial government is working with the project’s owner Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to begin the process of planning and licensing for the additional SMRs.
Earlier this year, a contract was signed by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Ontario Power Generation, SNC-Lavalin, and Aecon for deploying a BWRX-300 SMR at the Darlington New Nuclear Project site.
BWRX-300 is a 300MW water-cooled, natural circulation small modular reactor.
Once deployed, the four SMRs will be able to power 1.2 million households.
The Darlington New Nuclear Project is planned to be built on the site of the existing 3.5GW Darlington Nuclear Generating Station in the Clarington municipality in Ontario, east of Toronto.
Ontario Power Generation president and CEO Ken Hartwick said: “A fleet of SMRs at the Darlington New Nuclear Site is key to meeting growing electricity demands and net zero goals.
“OPG has proven its large nuclear project expertise through the on-time, on budget Darlington Refurbishment project. By taking a similar approach to building a fleet of SMRs, we will deliver cost and schedule savings, and power 1.2 million homes from this site by the mid-2030s.”
If granted regulatory approvals by the Ontario government and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), the additional SMRs at the Darlington New Nuclear Project have the potential to become operational between 2034 and 2036. The timeline would enable Ontario Power Generation to leverage construction insights from the first unit, resulting in cost savings for subsequent units, said the Ontario government.
Moreover, constructing multiple units will enable the shared utilisation of common infrastructure, including cooling water intake, transmission connection, and control room, among all four units instead of just one. This approach will lead to significant cost reductions, stated the provincial government.
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy president and CEO Jay Wileman said: “OPG and the Province of Ontario have staked a leading position in the deployment of new nuclear with a project that will offer significant energy and economic benefits to Ontario and Canada.
“As a global clean energy leader, the Province of Ontario is an ideal home for this innovative project. We look forward to working closely with the SMR project partners as we build a fleet of new reactors together and demonstrate nuclear project excellence here in Canada.”