Darlington small modular reactor faces delay and cost overruns, prompting OPG assessment

Résumé détaillé

Nuclear project is being watched globally because it’s the first of its kind to begin construction in a G7 country

The first nuclear power plant to begin construction in Canada since the 1980s has suffered cost overruns and delays, leading Ontario Power Generation to undertake a comprehensive assessment, the Crown corporation said.

The first of four small modular reactors planned for construction at the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station is “no longer expected to achieve the forecast in-service date of October 2030,” Torys LLP lawyer Charles Keizer, who represents the utility, wrote in a Tuesday letter to the Ontario Energy Board.

In its quarterly financial statements, also released Tuesday, OPG reported that the first nuclear unit wouldn’t “be completed within the previously disclosed estimated cost of $7.7-billion.”

The extent of the overruns were not disclosed. The utility said its assessment would determine those details and is expected to be completed by mid-2027.

The Darlington New Nuclear Project, with a total budget of $20.9-billion, involves building four BWRX-300 reactors and accompanying infrastructure adjacent to the existing generating station in Clarington, Ont. The project is being watched globally because it’s the first small modular reactor to begin construction in a Group of Seven country.

“We have identified risks that will impact Unit 1’s schedule and budget,” Nicolle Butcher, OPG’s president and chief executive officer, wrote in a statement.

“As we continue construction, we are working to fully assess those impacts, and establish mitigation measures and a cost and schedule outlook that we can stand behind.”

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OPG reported that the overruns reflected the “ongoing engineering” work of its partner, GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy, which is responsible for designing the BWRX-300 reactor and other aspects of the facility.

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