Located about 45 miles east of Toronto in Clarington, Ontario, the Darlington plant houses four 878-MWe PHWR CANDU reactors, all of which entered commercial operation in the early 1990s. The 10-year megaproject, budgeted at C$12.8 billion (about $9.4 billion), was also 10 years in the planning. Work commenced in earnest in October 2016, when Unit 2 was taken off line (Nuclear News, December 2016, p. 45).
Unit 2, the plant's first reactor to undergo refurbishment, returned to service in June 2020. Unit 3 returned to service in July 2023, and Unit 1 came back on line in November 2024.
Project stats: According to OPG, the decade of work on Darlington's refurbishment included the following:
1,920 fuel channels replaced.
3,840 feeder pipes replaced.
$90 billion in economic benefits to Ontario.
96 percent of project spent within Ontario.
3,512 MW secured for 30-plus years.
From the C-suite: “This is a momentous achievement for OPG, Ontario, and Canada,” said Nicolle Butcher, OPG’s president and CEO. “Through this project, we have demonstrated to the world that complex nuclear projects can be completed successfully, ahead of schedule, and under budget. Our experience on this refurbishment, and the thousands of lessons we have learned, will serve as our foundation as we advance nuclear’s future. Darlington’s refurbishment has given us the confidence, the tools, and the skills to forge ahead.”
ICYMI: In May of last year, Ontario authorities approved construction plans for the first of four BWRX-300 small modular reactors at Darlington—the first new nuclear construction project in the province in more than three decades. Approval followed OPG's receipt in April of a license to construct the first SMR from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. The current plan is to complete the initial unit by the end of the decade. OPG must secure an operating license before the 300-MWe boiling water reactor can begin commercial operation.
Also, in June of last year, OPG awarded a C$450 million (approx. $329 million) execution contract to Candu Energy, an AtkinsRéalis company, for the first SMR at Darlington. According to OPG, once all four units become operational, the Darlington New Nuclear Project will be capable of generating 1,200 MWe, enough to power approximately 1.2 million homes.
-3 2x1.jpg)
