May 13, 2020
2 min read

The journey to Darlington Unit 2 refurbishment

A first, historic step for the province

The Darlington Nuclear Generating Station has been a reliable source of power for the province for more than 30 years. In October 2016, after a decade of planning and preparations, OPG and our project partners took the first step on a historic, 10-year journey towards extending the lifetime of the power plant and providing another 30 years of low-cost, reliable and clean energy for Ontarians.

Throughout Unit 2 refurbishment, the project team worked hand in hand with thousands of workers and hundreds of suppliers from across the province to safely deliver on our commitment. Along the way, we incorporated lessons learned from both successes and challenges; developed innovations that improved efficiencies; and, towards the end, adapted to changing conditions in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. This agile and focused approach ensured each complex task was completed safely and with quality.

In June 2020, following more than three years in the execution phase, we successfully reconnected Unit 2 to Ontario’s grid at 100% full power, returning the first newly refurbished reactor to service a month ahead of our revised schedule.

With the completion of this first of four refurbishments, OPG is demonstrating our commitment to completing the four-unit Darlington Refurbishment in 2026 on time and on budget, and to generating jobs and clean energy for the province.

Unit 2 refurbishment fast facts

24

worked since 2016

765,000

spent on training in the Mock-up and Training Facility

18

safety and infrastructure projects complete

100,000

processed

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