Ontario Announces Construction of Canada’s First Small-Scale Nuclear Plant

Ontario Announces Construction of Canada’s First Small-Scale Nuclear Plant
Then-Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce speaks in Toronto on Aug. 31, 2023. Lecce became the province’s energy minister in 2025. The Canadian Press/Spencer Colby
Jennifer Cowan
Updated:
0:00

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has received approval from the provincial government to begin building Canada’s inaugural small modular reactor, a nuclear facility that will be located next to the Darlington power plant an hour east of Toronto.

The first of four reactors, which are expected to come with a combined cost of nearly $21 billion, will be built in Bowmanville, Ont., says Energy Minister Stephen Lecce. The estimated construction cost of the first reactor is $7.7 billion, with work set to start this year and conclude by 2029, with connection to the grid in 2030.