Ontario Power Generation Approves GE Vernova Hitachi's Small Modular Reactor for Construction

    May 12, 2025
    The approval will allow construction of the first of four planned BWRX-300s at OPG's Darlington site to start soon with the first unit scheduled for completion by the end of 2030.
    GE Vernova Hitachi
    6821f8ada4ee58197df5ee80 Bwrx

    While many preliminary moves are progressing to advance small nuclear technologies in the U.S., its neighbor to the north is edging closer to physical construction and commissioning in only about five years.

    The Province of Ontario, Canada, and utility Ontario Power Generation have approved construction permits for a BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) manufactured by GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GVH).

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    The approval will allow construction of the first of four planned BWRX-300s at OPG's Darlington site to start soon with the first unit scheduled for completion by the end of 2030. While early site preparation work at Darlington is completed, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission granted OPG a license to construct the first unit in April.

    No construction permits for SMR projects have yet been approved to go forward with work in the U.S., although the Nuclear Regulatory Commission OK’d design permits on some projects in the past year. Most forecasts anticipate the first SMR projects in the U.S. to be built sometime in the early or mid-2030s.

    The 300-MW BWRX-300 is a smaller boiling water reactor version of previous GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy designs. Ontario Power Generation, which also operates conventional nuclear power facilities in the province, selected the BWRX-300 SMR for use at its Darlington Nuclear Generating Station earlier this decade.

    SMR nuclear projects are envisioned as smaller, safer and less expensive power generation projects to help meet both sustainability and resiliency goals. Nuclear energy reactors, which do not emit greenhouse gases, currently account for about 18 percent of total U.S. utility-scale electricity and close to half of carbon-free generation in the U.S.

    “As the world looks to adopt SMR technology, we are proud to be embarking on construction of the first BWRX-300 with OPG, AtkinsRéalis and Aecon” said Lisa McBride, Canada Country Leader, GVH. “Ontario's supply chain is expected to contribute significantly to this project bringing substantial economic benefits to the province including the creation of thousands of jobs during manufacturing, construction and operation.”

    Russia and China already have operational SMR projects on the ground. In the U.S., companies like NANO, Natura, X-energy, Oklo and NuScale are working towards NRC construction permit approval but have not crossed that threshold yet.