OPG’s Subo Sinnathamby leads one of Canada’s largest clean energy infrastructure projects

Sinnathamby is no stranger to the project.

In 2017, as Darlington’s Fuel Handling Senior Manager, she led Unit 2’s defuel campaign, the first major step in the Darlington Refurbishment. It was completed safely and with quality 26 days ahead of schedule.

After leading Darlington’s Fuel Handling team, Sinnathamby moved first to the position of Director of the Work Management, Centre-led Functional Area Management (CFAM), then to Vice President, Inspection and Reactor Innovation (IRI), before returning to Darlington.

She is now working to ensure the station’s critical refurbishment remains on budget and on schedule, with a focus on safety and quality.

Once completed in 2026, the project will provide 30-plus more years of clean, reliable baseload electricity from the Darlington station, which generates 20 per cent of Ontario’s power.

With the added years of operation, the project will have the same impact as removing two million cars per year from Ontario’s roads and help meet OPG’s ambitious climate change goals while supporting the province’s efforts to decarbonize and electrify its economy.

The $12.8-billion refurbishment is also helping the province’s economic recovery from the pandemic. The project and the station’s continued operation will generate close to $90 billion in economic benefits for Ontario and create about 14,200 jobs per year.

“This important mega-project will help us address the greatest challenge of our time – climate change,” said Sinnathamby. “Darlington’s clean power will continue to drive decarbonization across Ontario’s economy and enable much of the growth we want to see at OPG, including with Small Modular Reactor technology.”

Looking at the project so far, Sinnathamby is most proud of the team’s safety performance and commitment to quality. She notes that more than 4,000 lessons learned from Unit 2 have helped on Unit 3, the second to undergo refurbishment.

The refurbishment is also setting industry standards through innovation.

In 2021, during Unit 3’s disassembly, the project team completed a world-first achievement with the combined removal of pressure and calandria tubes from the reactor. The innovative breakthrough will improve worker safety while saving about 30 days of work on future units.

Unit 3 is now currently undergoing reassembly and is expected to be back online in 2024.

In early 2022, the Darlington Refurbishment will reach another milestone as Unit 1 is taken offline and begins its overhaul alongside Unit 3.

“This will be both an exciting and challenging time for us,” Sinnathamby said. “But with teamwork, preparation, and a commitment to safety and quality, we’re confident we will be able to complete all four units by 2026, on time and on budget.”