OPG advancing the clean promise of nuclear power with Darlington SMR project

“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 Ken Hartwick, OPG’s President and CEO. “By constructing the first commercial, grid-scale SMR, we are laying the groundwork for more of these reactors here and around the world. Adding new nuclear to the energy mix is a tangible and significant piece in the fight against climate change.”

The deployment of one 300 MW SMR in Ontario could displace between 0.3 and 2 megatonnes of carbon emissions per year, as well as enable intermittent renewable sources of energy, decrease the use of fossil fuels, and help electrify carbon-heavy sectors like transportation.

All told, in Canada, nuclear energy helps avoid 80 million tonnes of carbon emissions per year, or the equivalent of removing 15 million cars from the road.

Along with the ongoing refurbishment of the Darlington Nuclear station, nuclear power will continue to play a big role in OPG’s diverse generation mix and help the company and province meet its climate change goals.

Today, the Darlington New Nuclear Project team is working closely with technology partner GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy – selected last December – to engineer, design and plan for the construction of the firm’s proven reactor design, the BWRX-300, pending regulatory approvals.

Like the CANDU reactors at OPG’s Darlington and Pickering stations, this SMR relies on nuclear fission to heat water, which turns into steam and then drives a turbine to produce power. But unlike those larger reactors, this SMR is much smaller in size and output, and easier to build and operate.

The BWRX-300 also takes the already robust nuclear safety systems of today’s reactors and implements some innovate enhancements. These include the use of natural circulation and passive cooling systems designed to cool the nuclear fuel under all conditions without the need for external power or external water supply for extended periods.

Another major advantage of this design, and one shared by all SMRs, is its small footprint. Compared to renewable sources like solar and wind, an SMR requires hundreds of times less land to operate, making it one of the most land-efficient forms of electricity generation in the world.

With planning for the new reactor ongoing, and early work beginning at the site later this year, OPG is also preparing to submit its application for a licence to construct with the CNSC by the end of 2022. This represents the next milestone in the licensing process, and an important step before nuclear construction can begin.

To ensure this project is a success, and prove to the world SMRs can be more than just a concept, OPG will continue to rely on its talented employees and decades of experience in nuclear operations and project execution, as well as Ontario’s robust nuclear supply chain.

“We are confident that with our people and our current and future partners, we will build and operate an SMR at Darlington safely, timely and cost-effectively,” said Hartwick. “This will position our company to be an industry leader in SMR deployment.”