In 2020, nuclear power accounted for 56.8 per cent of Ontario’s electricity generation, compared to 24.4 per cent for water (hydro), 8.7 per cent for wind, 6.4 per cent for natural gas and 2.4 per cent for solar. While disposing of nuclear waste has always been a challenge, one SMR can prevent up to two megatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually. OPG, a Crown utility, said the project would create 700 jobs during development, 1,600 during construction and manufacturing, 200 during operations and 160 when it is eventually decommissioned after about 60 years. “Nuclear is a key proven zero emissions baseload energy source that will help us achieve net zero as a company by 2040, and act as a catalyst for efficient economy-wide decarbonization by 2050,” said Ken Hartwick, OPG’s president and chief executive officer. GE Hitachi president Jay Wileman said “this is a significant and concrete action in the fight against climate change that will also create jobs across Ontario and Canada as we leverage the robust and growing nuclear supply chain.” At Queen’s Park, Green Leader Mike Schreiner said “building a large SMR at Darlington makes absolutely no sense — especially because it’s going to be higher-cost electricity.”
Ge Hitachi Chosen To Build New Nuclear Reactor At Darlington By Robert Benzie, Queen’s Park Bureau Chief
Schreiner noted small reactors were designed for “remote areas or for specialty things like steel-making” and said the Tories are only building one there because of an existing environmental assessment.
Blueprint For The World: Ontario Picks GE Hitachi To Build New Generation of Small Nuclear Reactors In Canada
“ W i t h t o d a y ’s announcement, Ontario is leading t h e way i n n ew nuclear technologies — like SMRs — that represent tremendous economic and environmental opportunities for our province and all of Canada,” Energy Minister Todd Smith said Thursday.
Tomas Kellner
“SMRs can provide reliable and emission-free energy while creating jobs, economic growth and export opportunities,” said Smith, adding it is a chance to “showcase Ontario’s nuclear expertise to the world.”
The project, which sources say will cost several billion dollars, would be Canada’s first commercial SMR and should be up and running by 2028.
Ontario Power Generation (OPG), the largest power supplier in Ontario, selected GE Hitachi to build the first SMR at Darlington, the only site in Canada currently licensed for a new nuclear reactor. “We’re excited to move forward with GE Hitachi and develop something here that all of us can be proud of and perhaps showcase to the rest of the world on how a new nuclear project can be done really well,” Hartwick said during a press conference.
Unlike the nation’s existing nuclear stations, the new reactor would not use Candu technology.
“By moving forward, with our industry-leading technology partner GE Hitachi, on deployment of innovative technology for an SMR at
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Like many countries, Canada has pledged to reduce its net carbon emissions to zero by 2050. But what makes Canada unique is how it wants to achieve that goal. Like others, it has been boosting renewables. But it also plans to add to the mix a powerful new source: small modular reactors, or SMRs, which can be deployed faster than conventional ones and at a lower cost per unit of output. Last week, the province of Ontario selected GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy to build a grid-scale SMR and bring it online by the end of the decade.
