The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) announced its decision to issue a power reactor construction license to Ontario Power Generation Inc. (OPG) to construct a General Electric Hitachi BWRX-300 reactor at its Darlington New Nuclear Project (DNNP) site in Clarington, Ontario.

The Commission concluded that OPG is qualified to construct the reactor and will do so “in a way that protects the health and safety of people and the environment.”

The power reactor construction license is valid until March 31, 2035. The license includes four facility-specific license conditions that, along with the standard license conditions, will enable effective regulatory oversight of the licensed activities. 

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The Commission further concluded that it had fulfilled its constitutional responsibility to consult and, where appropriate, accommodate Indigenous rights in respect of its decision on this matter. As a lifecycle regulator, the CNSC focuses on continuous engagement and consultation with Indigenous Nations and groups before, during and after Commission proceedings in respect of licensed activities. 

The DNNP, a proposed project from OPG, represents the site preparation, construction, operation, decommissioning and abandonment of up to four new small modular reactors (SMR) at the existing Darlington Nuclear site.

The DNNP site is located on the eastern third of the Darlington Nuclear site. The goal of the project is to generate up to 4,800MW of electricity for the Ontario grid. The DNNP would be a Class IA nuclear facility, per section 1 of the Class I Nuclear Facilities Regulations. OPG currently holds a CNSC power reactor site preparation license for the DNNP.

In December 2021, OPG announced that it had selected the General Electric Hitachi BWRX-300 reactor for deployment at the DNNP site. In October 2022, OPG applied to the CNSC for a license to construct one BWRX-300 reactor for the project. In April 2024, the Commission determined that the Environmental Assessment for the DNNP remained applicable to the selected reactor technology.   

OPG has previously said it expects construction on the first reactor to be complete by 2028, with the additional SMRs coming online between 2034 and 2036. The utility aims to take learnings from the construction of the first unit to deliver cost savings on the subsequent units.

Supporting new SMR development and investing in nuclear power is part of the provincial government’s larger plan to prepare for electricity demand in the 2030s and 2040s. Nuclear power currently provides about 50% of Ontario’s electricity supply.

Originally published by Sean Wolfe on Factor This – Power Engineering