OPG signs Canadian SMR contract

• 1 year, 9 months ago (2023-01-31)
• David Flin

North America 1021 Nuclear 659

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Ontario Power Generation (OPG), GE Hitachi (GEH), SNC Lavalin , and Aecon have signed North America’s first commercial contract to develop a grid-scale SMR in Ontario, Canada. The contract is for a BWRX-300 to be built at OPG’s Darlington New Nuclear Project.

Construction is due for completion by late 2028, and it will start supplying power to the grid in 2029. OPG will be the licence holder, with overall responsibility for the project; GEH will be the technology developer; SNC-Lavalin will be the architect engineer; and Aecon will be the constructor.

In October 2021, OPG selected GEH’s BWRX-300 for the site. In November 2022, it submitted a construction licence application to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC).

GEH will be responsible for design, procurement of major components, and engineering and support for the Darlington plant. SNC-Lavalin will provide project management, licensing, engineering, design, procurement, construction support and commissioning support. Aecon will provide all construction services, including project management, construction, planning, and execution.