Few words hold as much weight as 'nuclear,' and while news of a new reactor planned just 30 kilometres east of Toronto might have some Googling where to get iodine tablets, it's probably nothing anybody needs to worry about.
One of the primary sources of nuclear energy in the region, the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station in Bowmanville, will soon be getting a new high-tech reactor, the results of a newly-announced partnership between Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy.
The two companies are collaborating to engineer, design, plan, and construct Canada's first commercial Small Modular Reactor (SMR). Known as the GE Hitachi BWRX-300, this upgrade could be completed as soon as 2028.
Conceptual rendering of a BWRX-300 power plant design. Rendering by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy.
Nuclear power may conjure up scary images of meltdowns and radiation or terrifying false alarms that drive residents into a panic, but in reality, it's an everyday part of life. It currently represents about 20 per cent of Ontario's electricity daily, reaching 60 per cent of annual energy production in the province in 2018.
OPG claims that nuclear energy is a necessary component in the country reaching emissions targets, an SMR of about 300 megawatts in size capable of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by between 0.3 to 2.0 megatonnes per year.
"We know 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 CEO.
OPG states that the new reactor will be a significant job-creator, including local jobs, though some locals are not so happy with the plans.
The planned reactor has been met with pushback from community members and environmental groups from the beginning, and the latest announcement will likely spur even more resistance from concerned citizens.
Work on preparing the future site of the reactor is due to begin this coming spring, and OPG is aiming to apply for construction with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission by the end of 2022.
Lead photo GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy
Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has selected the BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) for the Darlington new nuclear site, and will work with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) to deploy the reactor. Canada's first commercial, grid-scale, SMR could be completed as early as 2028.
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OPG and GEH will collaborate on SMR engineering, design, planning, preparing licensing and permitting materials, and site preparation activities. Site preparation will begin in the spring of 2022, pending appropriate approvals, OPG said. It aims to apply to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) for a construction licence by the end of next year.
Darlington is the only site in Canada currently licensed for new nuclear: OPG was granted a site preparation licence by the CNSC in 2012, after completion of an environmental assessment which included public involvement, but reductions in forecast electricity demand led to a decision to defer plans for new build. OPG last year announced it was resuming planning activities for additional nuclear power generation via an SMR at the site, rather than a large conventional reactor, as previously envisaged. The CNSC recently granted a 10-year renewal to the site preparation licence, which had been due to expire in August 2022.
"We know 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 decarbonisation by 2050," OPG President and CEO Ken Hartwick said. "By moving forward, with our industry-leading technology partner GE Hitachi, on deployment of innovative technology for an SMR at Darlington, OPG is paving the way on the development and deployment of the next generation of nuclear power in Canada and beyond."
The BWRX-300 is a 300 MWe water-cooled, natural circulation SMR with passive safety systems that leverages the design and licensing basis of GEH's ESBWR boiling water reactor, which has been certified by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It is currently undergoing a Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission pre-licensing Vendor Design Review, or VDR. As well as the BWRX-300, OPG had also been considering Terrestrial Energy's Integrated Molten Salt Reactor and X-energy's Xe-100 high-temperature gas-cooled reactor for deployment at Darlington.
A 2020 study by the Conference Board of Canada found that a 300 MWe grid-scale SMR built in Ontario and operated for 60 years would create thousands of direct and indirect jobs from project development through to decommissioning. An independent report by PwC Canada, commissioned by GEH, has estimated that the construction and operation of the first BWRX-300 in Ontario will generate CAD2.3 billion (USD1.8 billion) in GDP, CAD1.9 billion in labour income and more than CAD750 million in federal, provincial and municipal tax revenue over its lifespan, with each subsequent BWRX-300 deployed in Ontario and other provinces is expected to further generate more than CAD1.1 billion in GDP and more than CAD300 million in tax revenue.
"OPG is Ontario's climate change leader and is positioned to become a world leader in SMRs. Together, this partnership will bring jobs and economic benefits to Durham Region, Ontario and Canada, and potential global export of this technology," GEH President and CEO Jay Wileman said.
"This first-of-a-kind reactor represents the future of nuclear power, not only in Canada, but across the world," Heather Thomas, president and CEO of GE Canada, said during the livestreamed announcement. "By making this decision, OPG and Ontario are demonstrating a clear example of how Canada can lead in the global energy transition … Ontario and OPG are positioned to be the first mover in small modular reactor technology globally," she said.
New nuclear technologies such as SMRs represent tremendous economic and environmental opportunities for Ontario and all of Canada, Ontario Minister of Energy Todd Smith said. SMRs can provide reliable and emission-free energy while creating jobs, economic growth and export opportunities, he added. "Our opportunity to be a leader in this technology is right here, right now," he said.
Two 'firsts' for Canadian reactor refurbishments
01 December 2021
The disassembly phase of Ontario Power Generation's (OPG's) refurbishment of Darlington unit 3 has now been completed and the reassembly phase has begun, the company said yesterday. The disassembly of the reactor included the world's first use of a combined pressure and calandria tube (PT-CT) removal technique. Separately, an automated process to install and inspect calandria tubes is to be used in the refurbishment of Bruce Power's Bruce 3 in another industry 'first'.
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The new tool removal toolset in use at Darlington 3 (Image: OPG)The first-of-its-kind work on Darlington’s unit 3 was completed on 27 October through a collaboration by OPG, the SNC-Lavalin Aecon Joint Venture, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), CANDU Energy and Promation Nuclear. In previous CANDU refurbishments, pressure tubes (which contain the fuel bundles and through which the reactor's primary coolant flows) and calandria tubes (which contain the pressure tubes as well as so-called garter springs) were removed individually. In addition, the garter springs - which act as a spacer between the calandria and pressure tube - often became separated during the process, adding a further challenge to the work.
While planning unit 3's refurbishment, the project team realised it may be possible to adapt the existing reactor disassembly toolset to remove the pressure tubes and calandria tubes at the same time, saving time, money and also reducing radiation exposure for the personnel carrying out the work. After proof-of-concept tests, the innovative tube removal tool was fabricated and tested on a mock-up, and the team underwent training and rehearsed using the new toolset before using it to remove the tubes from unit 3.
Unit 3 is the second unit at the Darlington site to undergo refurbishment. When similar work was being carried out on Darlington unit 2, all the pressure tubes and calandria tubes - 560 tubes in all - were removed separately, placed in flasks and transferred to the on-site volume reduction facility, a process taking 78 days in total. This was reduced by more than 30 days using the new technique.
The new removal technology, along with lessons learned, will be used on the remaining two reactor refurbishments still to take place at Darlington and are expected to reduce the overall project duration by three months.
As reassembly of unit 3 begins, preparations are under way for the refurbishment of unit 1, which is set to begin in February 2022, when two Darlington units will be in refurbishment in parallel for the first time over the course of the project, which is scheduled for completion in 2026.
Bruce 'first'
Separately, Ontario-based company ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc is automating the installation and inspection of calandria tubes at Bruce unit 3. The company said it has recently received an order worth some CAD30 million (USD24 million) relating to the refurbishment of Bruce 3. In addition to the installation and inspection of calandria tubes, ATS will also provide training and support for Bruce Power's team and enter a partnership to provide spare replacement parts, it said.
The work is part of Bruce Power's intensive Major Component Replacement Project, which began in January 2020 and will see the refurbishment of six reactors. The first reactor to undergo refurbishment is unit 6. Work is scheduled to begin on unit 3 in 2023 followed by unit 4 in 2025.
Refurbishments will add some 30 years of operational life for each CANDU reactor.
Researched and written by World Nuclear News
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