The Atkinsréalis Company Candu Energy has received an execution contract of $ 450 million from Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to build the first of four planned small modular reactors (SMRS) on the Darlington core generation station on the shore of the Lake Ontario by 70 km east of Toronto.
Ontario's provincial government says that the 300 MW BWRX 300 unit will be the first operational SMR among the G7 nations and will supply 300,000 houses from 2030 when it is ready.
The Darlington location of OPG, a company company in the province, is an existing nuclear power plant with four CANDU reactors that offer a combined production capacity of 3.5 GW.
Atkinsréalis will offer project management, licensing, engineering, design, procurement, building support and commissioning for the new SMR.
“First new nuclear construction for 30 years”
“Our participation in the first SMR scale of the G7 and the first nuclear new building of Canada in around 30 years affects our leading position in the global nuclear energy market for both large and small reactor technologies,” said President and Managing Director Ian L. Edwards.
Atkinsréalis has been the architect engineer of the New Nuclear Project Alliance team in the Darlington New Project Alliance since 2023.
The location preparation carried out in an earlier validation phase contract was completed on time and budget.
“Electricity needs to rise by 75%”
In April, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission issued a license to build the first of four planned SMRs at the Darlington location, and the ontario government gave its final approval on May 8.
“Ontario's electricity requirements are expected to increase by 75% by 2050, and we will need all the sources of cleaner power to meet the needs, including a large and small nuclear reactor technology,” said Joe St. Julian, President of Nuclear goods in Atkinsréalis.
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