Latest news with #OntarioPowerGeneration
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
First SMR in North America To Be Operational in 5 Years
The Ontario government has green-lit Ontario Power Generation to build the first of four Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) at the Darlington New Nuclear Project site. OPG says it will be the first commercial grid-scale SMR in North America, with an in-service target date of 2030, and the first new nuclear build in Ontario in more than three decades. Ontario government support for the CAD$20.9 billion project came after OPG received a Licence to Construct in April from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. The first SMR would cost $7.7 billion. All four SMRS are to be located next to the Darlington nuclear power plant east of Toronto and are expected to be running by 2035. The BWRX 300 modular plant was designed by G.E. Hitachi Nuclear Energy. It will have capacity for 300 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 300,000 homes. By comparison, Darlington's four conventional nuclear reactors each provide 935 MW. The Doug Ford government says the plants will help meet Ontario's future energy demands, which are expected to rise by 75 percent by rendering of the first Small Modular Reactor being built in Ontario. Source: Ontario Power Generation What are SMRs? Facing stiff emissions reduction requirements, several countries are starting to re-assess nuclear power and are looking at building plants that are not as expensive, risky, or politically unpalatable as conventional nuclear. Generally ,less than 300 MWe, SMRs are cheaper and can be built more quickly than large nuclear reactors, which are typically 1,000 MW and have a large footprint. Interest in small reactors is driven by a desire to reduce capital costs and to provide power away from large grid systems. SMRs are constructed with prefabricated modules and can be transported by truck or by rail — making them ideal for remote locations where a conventional reactor would not be feasible. Another important advantage is they are less likely to overheat, because their small cores produce less heat than those of large reactors. They also have fewer moving parts, including coolant pumps, which reduces the likelihood of failures that could cause an accident. The fuel, steam and generator are all in one vessel. Their small size and lower cost compared to large nuclear reactors makes Small Modular Reactors more versatile, meaning significantly more utilities will be able to use them. In Canada, SMRs are considered ideal for deployment to off-grid, remote locations such as mine sites or the oil sands, as well as communities in northern Canada reliant on diesel-fueled generators for electricity. Small nuclear reactors are also being eyed by industrial producers as carbon-free sources of heat. Other SMRs in the works In addition to OPG, other utilities including Saskatchewan's SaskPower and the Tennessee Valley Authority have expressed interest in building BWRX 300s, as have companies in Poland and Estonia, The Globe and Mail reports. Meanwhile Westinghouse, which built the world's first commercial pressurized water reactor in Shippingport, PA, in 2023 announced the launch of a smaller version of its flagship AP1000 nuclear reactor. The unit is, like the BWRX 300, able to generate 300 MW of electricity, versus 1,200 MW for the AP1000. It is expected to be available in 2027, at a cost of USD$1 billion per unit — significantly less than the $6.8B estimated to bring an AP1000 online. Some of the most advanced research on SMR technology is being conducted in New Brunswick. NB Power is currently working with two private-sector partners, ARC Clean Technology and Moltex Energy, to advance Generation IV Plus Grid-sized SMR technology for use in the Maritime province. In 2023, the New Brunswick government signed an agreement with the government of Saskatchewan to further enhance collaboration on the development and deployment of SMRs. The Western Canadian province is considering the same BWRX 300 Small Nuclear Reactor as Ontario. While no SMRs have yet been built in the United States, the Department of Energy has announced up to $5.5B in funding. According to my colleague Felicity Bradstock, an increasing number of tech companies are investing in SMR technology with the hopes of powering their high-energy-demand data centers with clean energy. The sector hopes SMR technology will be available to power several data centers by the 2030s, as their power demand grows in line with the rollout of artificial intelligence and other complex technologies. This has led Google to order seven SMRs, and Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta to follow suit. Bill Gates's Terrapower is one of the US companies currently building SMRs. Terrapower broke ground on its first project in Wyoming last August and is awaiting approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, expected by the end of 2026. Further afield, France announced USD$1.1 billion to develop an SMR design. In the UK, Rolls-Royce is around 18 months ahead of the competition in developing SMR technology. In the Netherlands, the nuclear startup Thorizon announced a new consortium to develop a molten salt-type SMR. The firm is currently building a 100-MW Molten Salt Reactor (MSR), Thorizon One, which it hopes to get running in a pilot plant by the mid-2030s. It expects the first prototype to be fueled by a mix of long-lived radioactive waste from existing nuclear facilities and thorium. This will transform much of the long-lived waste into short-lived waste. MSRs are powered by a radioactive solution that blends fissionable isotopes with a liquid salt. While they can be powered using uranium, they run optimally on thorium, a cleaner, safer, and more abundant nuclear fuel. The SMR market is expected to grow from $6 billion in 2024 to $7.14 billion in 2030, growing at a CAGR of 3 percent. The Asia Pacific and Americas markets will likely be the main drivers of this growth. By Andrew Topf for More Top Reads From this article on
Epoch Times
14-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
Ontario Announces Construction of Canada's First Small-Scale Nuclear Plant
Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has received approval from the provincial government to begin building Canada's inaugural small modular reactor, a nuclear facility that will be located next to the Darlington power plant an hour east of Toronto. The first of four reactors, which are expected to come with a combined cost of nearly $21 billion, will be built in Bowmanville, Ont., says Energy Minister Stephen Lecce. The estimated construction cost of the first reactor is $7.7 billion, with work set to start this year and conclude by 2029, with connection to the grid in 2030. 'Ensuring that we have reliable, affordable energy is essential to the economic sovereignty of our province and country,' Lecce said during a recent 'That's the equivalent of adding four-and-a-half times the city of Toronto to the grid,' he added. 'It's a massive amount of power and … we just don't have the supply to meet that demand. If we don't take that strong, decisive action for our future, our economy, there could be really serious repercussions.' The small modular reactor (SMR) is designed to generate 300 megawatts of electricity, which could supply approximately 300,000 households, Lecce said. Work has already begun to prepare the project site just east of the current nuclear plant along the shores of Lake Ontario. This marks the first phase of OPG's plan to address the sharp rise in electricity demand in Ontario. Once all four SMRs are built, they will produce enough electricity to power 1.2 million homes, the province said in a SMR Project OPG is partnering with General Electric (GE) and Hitachi to build the SMR, known as the BWRX-300, design engineering senior manager Daniel Côté said in a Related Stories 1/15/2024 1/8/2025 Eighty percent of project spending will go to Ontario companies, Lecce said, adding that construction is expected to create 18,000 jobs while the continued operations of the facilities will provide an estimated 3,700 'highly-skilled, good-paying' jobs over the next 65 years. The remaining 20 percent of project spending will be outside of Canada, with 15 percent going to European and Asian firms and 5 percent to U.S. companies, officials said. The $20.9 billion price tag will not come at taxpayers' expense, at least not directly. OPG has said it will fund the project through a mixture of existing cash reserves and incurring debt, with plans to recoup these costs over the project's lifespan by billing ratepayers for electricity. The province also plans to explore a new, large-scale plant at Bruce Power in Tiverton, Ont., consider a new nuclear plant near Port Hope, Ont., and refurbish units at the Pickering nuclear plant to extend its lifespan. The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
Canada Standard
13-05-2025
- Business
- Canada Standard
Critics Slam Cost of Ontario SMR Plan, Question Dependence on U.S. Uranium
Critics are taking a hard line on Ontario's announcement that it will build four 300-megawatt small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) at the existing Darlington nuclear plant near Bowmanville, with most concerns focused on the cost of the project and the geopolitical risk in sourcing enriched uranium from a U.S. supplier. Ontario Power Generation announced provincial approval for the first of the four units May 8, describing it as "the first new nuclear build in Ontario in more than three decades." "This is truly a historic moment," said OPG President and CEO Nicolle Butcher. "This made-in-Ontario project will support provincial companies, create jobs for Ontarians, and spur growth for our economy." Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce declared the 1,200-megawatt installation, the first of its kind in the G7, a "nation-building project being built right here in Ontario." Durham MPP Todd McCarthy called it "the next step to strengthening Ontario and Canada's energy security." The published cost of the project is $7.7 billion for the first reactor, including $1.6 billion for infrastructure and administrative buildings, and $20.9 billion to complete the series of four. Citing Conference Board of Canada figures, OPG said the four SMRs will contribute $38.5 billion to Canada's GDP over 65 years and sustain an average of about 3,700 jobs per year, including 18,000 per year during construction. In the OPG announcement, Butcher suggested an advantage in being the first G7 jurisdiction to bring an SMR to market. "As a first mover on SMRs, Ontario will also be able to market our capabilities and nuclear expertise to the world to further grow our domestic industry," she said. View our latest digests The Globe and Mail says the Darlington New Nuclear Project "is being watched closely by utilities around the world,,", and OPG's BWRX-300 design "is a candidate for construction in the United States, Britain, Poland, Estonia, and elsewhere." But "the costs published Thursday are higher than what independent observers argue are necessary to attract many more orders. For comparison, a recently completed 377-megawatt natural gas-fired power station in Saskatchewan cost $825-million." Ed Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Cambridge, MA-based Union of Concerned Scientists, called the Ontario estimate "an eye-popping figure, but not unexpected given what we know about the poor economics of small nuclear reactors." That would make the Darlington SMR facility "a boutique unit that's going to produce electricity for a very expensive price." An independent study released last week by the Ontario Clean Air Alliance found that the Darlington SMRs will cost up to eight times as much as onshore wind, almost six times as much as utility-scale solar, and 2.7 times as much offshore wind in the Great Lakes after factoring in the federal tax credit. The analysis by Hinesburg, Vermont-based Energy Futures Group "used data from Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) but used realistic real-world capital costs and performance measures to develop a more accurate comparison of the cost of nuclear and renewable power options," OCAA writes. The report calculates the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) from different sources in 2030 and 2040, with and without the federal government's 30% clean energy investment tax credit (ITC). It places the unsubsidized costs per megawatt-hour in 2030 at: $33 to $51 for onshore wind; $54 for utility-scale solar; $105 to $113 for offshore wind; $214 to $319 for different SMR designs; $279 to $307 for conventional nuclear plants. By 2040, the prices range from $30 for onshore wind and $41 for utility-scale solar to up to $269 for SMRs and $307 for conventional nuclear. SMR pricing falls as low as $137 per MWh with a 30% ITC. "It remains unclear how this, and the province's larger nuclear expansion program, will actually be paid for," Mark Winfield, co-chair of York University's Sustainable Energy Initiative, told The Energy Mix in an email. "Putting this on the rate base means higher rates for Ontario electricity consumers, even if the costs are as claimed." He added that "the potential role of the federal ITC and [Canada] Infrastructure Bank Investment raises serious questions about what should be defined as 'clean' energy given the risks involved in this case, in terms of economic and technological viability, safety risks, and unanswered questions regarding waste streams." Critics were already questioning whether field experience with four individual SMRs will be enough to drive down production costs from $6.1 billion plus surrounding infrastructure for the first unit to a range of $4.1 to $4.9 billion for the next three, after the estimated price of the project has already ballooned. Now, with New Brunswick scaling back its SMR development plans, "Ontario is taking something of a technological and economic flyer on this, on behalf of everyone else, underwritten by the electricity ratepayers and, ultimately, taxpayers of Ontario," Winfield wrote. "This is a project that demands serious economic, technological, and environmental scrutiny, and has been subject to virtually none." OPG is also running into concerns with its plan to power the BWRX-300 with enriched uranium supplied by a firm in the U.S. state of New Mexico. When Donald Trump launched his tariff war earlier this year and began muttering about making Canada a 51st state, Premier Doug Ford applied a short-lived tariff to Ontario power sales and referred publicly to cutting exports as a retaliatory measure. Now, the province is proposing to make 1,200 MW of electricity supply dependent on a vendor that could see its price driven up by tariffs, or be compelled to cut off the supply entirely. "Developing a dependence on another country for our nuclear fuel has always been a concern, and recent events have proven those concerns are justified," Bob Walker, national director of the Canadian Nuclear Workers' Council, told the Globe and Mail in February. "The arrangements are probably as robust as they could be under normal circumstances, but the circumstances are no longer normal." In an email to the Globe at the time, OPG spokesperson Neal Kelly described the situation as "very fluid", adding that "we are proactively evaluating potential impacts and will act as the situation arises." Kelly did not respond to an email Monday morning asking whether OPG has any concerns about sourcing enriched uranium from the U.S., and whether it has or needs a Plan B. Source: The Energy Mix
CTV News
09-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Canada could soon have G7's first small modular nuclear reactors. Here's what that means
An artist rendering of the first small modular reactor (SMR) being built in Ontario. (Source: Ontario Power Generation) For the last 15 years, there's been a lot of talk about the possibilities of small modular reactors – mini nuclear plants that could be factory built and power an industrial site or a small city. Now, Ontario is pressing ahead with a plan to build four of them – the first in the western world. 'A lot of governments are watching to see how this goes,' said Brendan Frank with the group Clean Prosperity, a non-profit. Significantly smaller in size and power output compared to a traditional nuclear plant, small modular reactors (SMRs) are based on the same science. Fission is used to generate heat, which is then used to make electricity. 'SMRs are basically shrunken down technology, about a third or quarter in size, but have many of the same principals,' said Frank. Ontario is giving the green light for Ontario Power Generation to spend $7.7 billion to build the first of the reactors and common systems for all four next to the Darlington power plant east of Toronto. The modular plant, called the BWRX 300, was designed by American based G.E. Hitachi Nuclear Energy and will be able to provide 300 megawatts of electricity, which is enough to power 300,000 homes. Saskatchewan next? It's hoped the finished plant will show both the feasibility and benefits of SMRs and encourage broader adoption. Their compact size and modular design means they could be suitable for remote locations. 'The Saskatchewan government is considering the same reactor model,' said Frank. 'They're basically hinging their decision on whether to build their first nuclear reactor based on whether or not things go well in Ontario.' Nuclear reactor Canada news Construction site where four SMRs will be built generating enough electricity to power 1.2 million homes. (Source: Ontario Power Generation) Alberta, New Brunswick? Alberta and New Brunswick are also considering SMRs, and Ontario has been helping to try and export the technology to countries like Poland and Estonia. Frank says there's a global commitment to triple existing nuclear capacity by 2050.'Canada can be a huge contributor to global efforts to build out that capacity while generating jobs and growth here at home.' More than 80 Ontario companies will be involved in the construction. The plant is expected to be online by 2030. All four will cost nearly $21 billion and are scheduled to run by 2035. Ontario's government says the plants will help meet energy demands in the future which are expected to rise by 75 per cent by 2050. The province's minister of energy and mines Stephen Lecce says construction will employ 18,000 people and adds the plants should last 65 years. 'This is a bold decision we're making,' said Lecce. Tech is vulnerable to U.S. whims: critic But the project isn't without its critics. Jack Gibbons is with the Ontario Clean Air Alliance. He says an analysis by his group shows solar and wind power would be much cheaper. He also believes going with the reactor design by U.S.-based GE Hitachi is not good for national security. 'These new American reactors will require us to import enriched uranium from the United States,' said Gibbons. 'That enriched uranium could be cut off by President Trump at any moment.'
Vancouver Sun
09-05-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
Construction of modular nuclear reactors set to start at Darlington station with total cost of $21B
Construction on the first of four small modular reactors at a nuclear station east of Toronto is set to begin this year with the entire project costing $21 billion. The first reactor at the site of the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station should be completed by 2030, officials said. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission approved Ontario Power Generation's plan last month to build the first of four reactors. 'We're breaking ground on a project that when complete will produce power for 1.2 million homes, 1,200 megawatts of power,' said Energy Minister Stephen Lecce. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The project will create 18,000 jobs, including 3,700 highly skilled jobs. Lecce said 80 per cent of the spending on the entire project will go to Ontario companies that are providing skilled workers to build the new reactors. 'Our workers, our welders, our boilermakers, our heavy equipment operators will build this project with Canadian steel, Canadian concrete, and Canadian innovation,' he said. Once built, the small nuclear reactors will operate for 65 years, the province said. OPG selected GE Hitachi's small modular reactor technology. The American-Japanese company has its headquarters in the United States. Small modular reactors are smaller-than-usual nuclear reactors that are sometimes considered safer due to their size. They can operate individually or as part of a larger nuclear complex, depending on their location's energy requirements. Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said it's a real gamble during an ongoing trade war with the United States. 'I think it's irresponsible for the government to be bringing in an SMR with U.S. technology that's going to lock us into needing enriched U.S. uranium to have it work,' Schreiner said. The province's nuclear generator fleet are CANDU reactors that do no need enriched uranium, but the SMR technology does. The Independent Electricity System Operator said last year that electricity demand is expected to increase 75 per cent by 2050. The moves are part of a larger push from Lecce to rely more heavily on nuclear generation to power the province's growing electricity demands. The plan also includes exploring a new, large-scale plant at Bruce Power in Tiverton, Ont., considering a new nuclear plant near Port Hope, Ont., and refurbishing units at the Pickering nuclear plant to extend its lifespan. Lecce is also bullish on exporting Ontario's nuclear know-how abroad. The province has signed agreements worth more than $1 billion with companies in Estonia, Poland and the Czech Republic. Those agreements will see Canadian companies and workers build and operate reactors oversees, his office said. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
