Ford marks start of construction on Canada's first grid-scale SMR nuclear reactor
Ontario Premier Doug Ford was in Clarington, Ont., Friday to mark the beginning of site preparation for Canada’s first grid-scale small modular reactor (SMR) at the Darlington nuclear site.
The Premier was joined by Minister Energy Todd Smith to mark the milestone.
“With global businesses looking to expand in jurisdictions with clean and cost-effective electricity, small modular reactors will help compete for and attract more game-changing investments in Ontario’s economy,” Ford said.
“Our government is getting it done and building the future of nuclear energy right here in Ontario to support the needs of our growing province.”
The new SMR will be Ontario’s first nuclear reactor built in a generation, according to the Ministry of Energy, and will deliver 300 MW of electricity, “enough to power 300,000 homes.”
In March 2022, constructor E.S. Fox was awarded the contract to deliver early site preparation work, which includes water supply, electrical power, information technology and road services.
“This work, valued at $32 million, will support over 100 new jobs in the Durham region,” the Ministry of Energy said in a release issued Friday.
Currently, about 60 per cent of Ontario’s daily power usage comes from nuclear plants, but demand is growing.
As older nuclear plants near retirement age, the Independent Electricity System Operator has said natural gas will be needed in the coming years or there could be rolling blackouts across the provincial grid and higher electricity bills by 2030.
Yet, Minister Smith has maintained nuclear power will be the “backbone” of Ontario electricity in years to come as the province looks to reach net-zero when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Labour could prove another hurdle — the Ontario government has estimated there will be a skilled trade shortage of 350,000 people by 2025.
“It is something we’re working very closely with the province in a variety different areas into the trade,” said Ontario Power Generation President Ken Hartwick.
Once open, the new Darlington plant would employ 200 people during operations, as well as 2,300 jobs during planning and development, according to a 2020 study by the Conference board of Canada.
It's scheduled to be completed by 2028.
With files from CTV’s Andrew Brennan.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Amid climate change warnings, Canadians lukewarm on electric vehicles
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
1 person killed and 23 injured in a bus crash in northern Maryland, police say
One person was killed and 23 others were injured when a bus crashed early Sunday on Interstate 95 in northern Maryland, police said.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
‘Love has no boundaries’: Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Video shows gaggle of geese stopping traffic on Highway 1 near Vancouver
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.
Chemical spill could be cause of stinky water in Puslinch, Ont., new report says
People living in Puslinch, Ont. may have the answer to why their water smelled so bad last year.