OPG resumes plan to build small nuclear reactor at Darlington site
By The Canadian Press
Construction
The nuclear plant east of Toronto is the only one in Canada currently licensed for new nuclear. PHOTO: Ontario Power Generation Inc.
CLARINGTON, Ont.—Ontario Power Generation announced it’s resuming planning activities for a new nuclear power reactor at its Darlington site Nov. 13.
OPG said the small modular reactor (SMR) is scheduled to be completed as early as 2028.
Ken Hartwick, the president and CEO of OPG, said the project will help make Ontario’s Durham Region “the clean energy capital of the world.”
“OPG is paving the way on the development and deployment of the next generation of nuclear power in Canada,” he said.
A study undertaken by the Conference Board of Canada says that the project will create thousands of jobs in Ontario.
The report says 700 jobs during project development will be created, followed by 1,600 jobs during manufacturing and construction; 200 jobs during operations; and 160 jobs during decommissioning.
OPG owns Canada’s largest fleet of nuclear reactors including the existing Darlington Nuclear Generating Station. Unlike these conventional large reactors, the SMRs are designed to have a relatively small footprint and to be built modularly.
Darlington is the only site in Canada currently licensed for new nuclear.
