First new nuclear reactor in 30 years moves forward in Ontario town

Construction of Ontario’s small modular reactor (SMR) — the first in the G7, according to the province — is moving forward.

Today, the Ontario government announced at the CNA2026 Conference that a 2.1-million-pound Basemat module for the Unit 1 SMR was lifted and installed at the Darlington New Nuclear Project site, located in the Durham Region municipality of Clarington.

In a news release, the province said the precision lift, the equivalent of lifting more than three Airbus A380 airliners, was executed by one of the world’s largest crawler cranes, lowering the material within millimetre precision.

The Ontario government said this represents the first foundation of a new nuclear reactor to be built in Ontario in over 30 years.

Once complete, the Darlington New Nuclear Project’s four SMRs will produce 1,200 megawatts (MW) of electricity, enough to power 1.2 million homes.

“Ontario is building the Western World’s first Small Modular Reactor — creating 18,000 good-paying jobs,” said Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce in a statement.

“Ontario just executed with great precision the first foundation of a new nuclear reactor in Ontario in over 30 years. This is a major achievement as the world turns to Ontario to refurbish and build large-scale nuclear on time and on budget. For the first time, Ontario has secured over 100 Ontario-based businesses to help build the components for SMRs, infusing over $500 million into Ontario’s economy. Our government is deeply committed to building more in Canada, which is why we are proud to invest at least 80 per cent of every dollar in the Canadian supply chain.”

The news comes about two months after Ontario Power Generation announced a milestone a decade in the making after the plant’s Unit 4 was reconnected to the grid – the first time the unit had been supplying power to Ontario residents since it was taken offline for refurbishment in July 2023. That also marked the completion of a project that began in 2016.

The province said over 100 Canadian companies have signed onto the SMR supply chain, adding that 80 northern and rural Ontario companies have already signed agreements with Ontario Power Generation and its partners to work on the project. In addition to those organizations, sixteen new Ontario-based companies and six companies from Quebec and Alberta have joined the supply chain.

The province said the Hamilton-based Walters Group has been awarded a $44.5 million contract for structural steel and the Toronto-based Marmon Industrial Water was awarded a $17.8 million contract for a condensate purification package.

Scarborough-based Tractel was awarded a $9.9 million contract for the reactor building weather enclosure and the Oakville-based Hooper Welding was awarded an $8.8 million contract for sampling and collection tanks.

The province said construction, operation and maintenance of the four units will add $38.5 billion to Canada’s GDP over the next 65 years, with OPG affirming that 80 per cent of project spending will go to Ontario companies.

An estimated 3,800 construction jobs are also expected to be maintained over the next six decades.

“With the foundation of the first Small Modular Reactor at the Darlington New Nuclear Project in place, we are now able to begin building up, with the project team now advancing construction on the reactor building’s structure, internal systems and components,” said Nicolle Butcher, OPG president and CEO, in a statement.

“This was a milestone months in the making, requiring significant attention to detail and safety, as well as the hard work of dedicated trades and project partners from across Ontario.” Within Canada, the Ontario government and OPG are collaborating with power companies in Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Yukon and Nova Scotia as they work towards the potential deployment of SMRs in their jurisdictions. Around the world, the government has helped secure job-creating agreements that deploy made-in-Ontario components to build SMRs for the world.”

Darlington Nuclear produces more than 3,500 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 3.5 million homes. Once complete, the Darlington New Nuclear Projects’ four SMRs will produce 1,200 megawatts (MW) of electricity, enough to power 1.2 million homes.