OPG’s Mallika Khurana helping support Pickering Refurbishment and women in engineering

It was a full-circle moment for Khurana as she remembers being in the same shoes not long ago, feeling the same mixture of excitement and nervousness. Today, she’s clear-eyed about what she wants to accomplish in the years ahead.

“I want to make a difference here at OPG,” she said. “I want to have a positive impact on whatever I’m working on and for the world beyond it. I care deeply about the environment, and that’s why it means so much to work for a company so committed to advancing clean energy and having a positive impact.”

Growing up, you could say Khurana was destined for a career in engineering. With an aptitude and passion for math, physics, and chemistry in high school, she already had the foundational skills to succeed. But there was a family connection as well.

Both of her grandfathers were engineers – one had a career in the oil and gas industry and another worked as a civil engineer building and roads specialist – and her dad studied mechanical automotive engineering.

“My grandfathers and my dad showed me what engineering looked like and gave me a sense that I could do it, too – but it was my mom who never let me doubt myself for a second.”

Since taking on her role at Pickering Nuclear, she’s had a lot of interesting discussions with her family educating them on nuclear power – from explaining the process of fission to nuclear’s exciting future in Ontario.

“I love sharing with people that the nuclear industry is an exciting place to be in right now,” she said. “It’s growing so rapidly, with refurbishments, the SMR project at Darlington, and exploration of new nuclear development at Wesleyville. We will definitely need more nuclear to keep up with rising demand.”

Aside from her passion for engineering and nuclear, Khurana has also been busy recently heightening the profile of women in her field by helping start a new “Women in Engineering” group at OPG.

The initiative, now in its start-up phase, aims to mentor, support, and advocate for women engineers at OPG and across the energy sector, to help advance the 30 by 30 initiative, a national program aimed at increasing the percentage of newly licensed engineers who are women to 30% by 2030.

“In general, diverse teams design better products,” Khurana said. “Women bring different lived experiences and ways of thinking which leads to better solutions. The value of that perspective is immeasurable.”

Her career may just be taking off, but Khurana already has some sage advice for other young women hoping to be in her position soon.

“Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Taking that first step, whether it’s introducing yourself to a new person or taking on a new role, can be daunting. I’ve been there. But it’s how you grow, and you are more capable than you think!”