Canada just lowered a 953-tonne slab of steel and concrete into a 35-meter shaft
10 hours ago
- #Small Modular Reactors
- #Nuclear Energy
- #Infrastructure
- Ontario Power Generation (OPG) installed the foundation (basemat) for the first BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) at Darlington, marking the start of Western grid-scale SMR construction.
- The BWRX-300 is a 300-megawatt boiling water reactor, using conventional cooling and safety designs, with construction expected to take 24-36 months for subsequent units.
- Total cost for the first reactor is estimated at CAD 7.7 billion, with a four-unit program budgeted at CAD 20.9 billion, aiming to power about 1.2 million homes.
- The project faces challenges including sourcing enriched uranium fuel, as Canada lacks domestic enrichment capabilities.
- OPG targets grid connection by the end of 2030, with international interest from the U.S., Poland, Sweden, Estonia, Hungary, and Saskatchewan.