The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) last week arrested an individual for allegedly communicating safeguarded information in relation to critical infrastructure.

The individual is accused of “intentionally communicating safeguarded information to a foreign entity or terrorist group knowing or being reckless as to whether the communication would increase the capacity of the foreign entity or terrorist group to harm Canadian interests,” according to a RCMP release from Feb. 16.

Evidence indicates that the individual acted with intent to put critical infrastructure at risk, RCMP said.

Ontario Power Generation said its nuclear stations use sophisticated security technology and intelligence to keep its facilities and communities safe. This includes robust, “defense in depth” security systems to ensure OPG is prepared to pre-empt or respond to any situation.

Immediately upon identifying the information breach, OPG and RCMP implemented measures to “mitigate and manage any further unauthorized disclosure,” OPG said in a statement released Feb. 20.

RCMP is continuing to investigate.

Through the agreement, the two companies say they will examine the feasibility of developing SMRs in Alberta, including possible ownership and operating structures. Still a novel concept, SMRs are being pursued by jurisdictions in Canada and elsewhere to address the growing demand for clean electricity and energy security.

OPG is building what it calls North America’s “first fleet” of SMRs at its Darlington New Nuclear site in Ontario. The construction of the first of four SMRs is expected to be completed by the end of 2028, and the unit online by the end of 2029.

Nuclear’s Evolution is an educational track at the POWERGEN International® exhibition and summit, which serves as an education, business and networking hub for electricity generators, utilities, and solution providers engaged in power generation. Join us from January 23-25, 2024, in New Orleans, Louisiana!

GE Hitachi (GEH) will provide the reactor design, engineering licensing support, construction, testing, training, and commissioning for the BWRX-300 SMR, to be located at OPG’s Darlington site. 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.

Capital Power and OPG will complete the feasibility assessment within two years, while continuing to work on the next stages of SMR development. Capital Power owns approximately 7,700 MW of power generation capacity at 30 facilities across North America.

The governments of Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick jointly released a Strategic Plan in 2022 for the deployment of SMRs. Also in 2022, OPG filed an application for a license to build a 300 MW SMR at the Darlington site. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission renewed OPG’s license for the Darlington site in 2021, allowing OPG to work on the site for 10 years.

Last November, OPG and its commercial subsidiary, Laurentis Energy Partners (LEP), announced they are collaborating with SaskPower to advance Saskatchewan’s first small modular reactor (SMR).

The five-year agreement, which builds on existing collaboration between the utilities, would help streamline SMR development in Saskatchewan. Under the agreement, LEP would focus on program management, licensing and operational readiness activities. OPG and SaskPower have both selected the GE Hitachi BWRX-300 SMR for potential deployment. The first of four SMRs are expected to be completed by the end of 2028, and online by the end of 2029.

Under the MOU, the companies will seek to explore potential commercial opportunities for Westinghouse’s AP1000, AP300, and eVinci reactor technologies; investigate licensing and regulatory pathways for new nuclear projects in Canada; and examine other potential areas for collaboration in the new-build market.

The MOU signing took place in Paris at the World Nuclear Exhibition where companies and representatives from around the world were gathered to explore the latest innovations and opportunities to collaborate and shape the future of clean nuclear energy.

Nuclear’s Evolution is an educational track at the POWERGEN International® exhibition and summit, which serves as an education, business and networking hub for electricity generators, utilities, and solution providers engaged in power generation. Join us from January 23-25, 2024, in New Orleans, Louisiana!

To effectively decarbonize the broader economy, Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator says demand for clean, reliable baseload electricity will rise sharply in coming years and has called for almost 18,000 MW of new nuclear capacity by 2050.

OPG’s current work includes building North America’s first fleet of small modular reactors at its Darlington New Nuclear site. The company has just partnered with companies from Canada, the U.S., and France to ensure a fuel supply for the first unit of its four-unit project.

OPG already plans to develop the “first grid-scale SMR” in North America at the Darlington site, GE Hitachi’s BWRX-300 reactor. OPG is partnering with GEH, SNC-Lavalin, and Aecon on the project, and the first SMR is expected to be completed by the end of 2028, and online by the end of 2029

Subject to Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) regulatory approvals, the additional SMRs could come online between 2034 and 2036. The provincial government said OPG could take learnings from the construction of the first unit to deliver cost savings on the subsequent units. The four units once deployed would produce a total 1,200 MW of electricity.

Westinghouse recently got its first customer for the eVinci microreactor when the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) received $80 million to pursue the demonstration of a microreactor. SRC will apply the research and knowledge gained from the licensing and deployment of an initial microreactor to support the Saskatchewan nuclear industry to better understand this type of technology and the potential for future microreactor projects in the province. It is expected to be operational by 2029.

The company also just announced the full acquisition of its long-standing partner Tecnatom from Endesa after obtaining all regulatory approvals. The full acquisition of the Spanish company is meant to boost Westinghouse’s offerings in nuclear refueling, maintenance, inspection services, engineering, training, and digital services and products.

Westinghouse first acquired 50% of Tecnatom in 2021 and operated the company jointly with Endesa. Since then, Westinghouse and Tecnatom partnered in support of projects and commercial opportunities, particularly in inspection services, training and digital solutions. By acquiring the remaining 50%, Westinghouse can fully integrate Tecnatom’s resources, capabilities and products into Westinghouse.

GE Hitachi (GEH), Ontario Power Generation (OPG), SNC-Lavalin and Aecon have together inked the first commercial contract for a grid-scale small modular reactor (SMR) in North America.

GEH would provide the reactor design, engineering licensing support, construction, testing, training and commissioning for the BWRX-300 SMR, to be located at OPG’s Darlington new nuclear site.

As part of the six-year agreement, SNC-Lavalin said it would also provide OPG with project management, licensing, engineering, design, procurement, construction support and commissioning, as well as digital delivery capabilities in both the nuclear island and balance of plant scopes for the project.

The project at Darlington is expected to come online by the end of the decade, partners have said.

In 2022 the Canada Infrastructure Bank committed C$970 million ($713 million) toward the project in the bank’s largest investment in clean power to date.

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. It is currently undergoing a CNSC pre-licensing Vendor Design Review.

The BWRX-300 leverages a unique combination of existing fuel that is currently used in operating reactors (and does not require HALEU), plant simplifications, proven components and a design based on already licensed reactor technology.  

There is growing global interest in the BWRX-300 in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere in Canada.

In August 2022, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) began planning and preliminary licensing to potentially deploy a BWRX-300 at the Clinch River Site near Oak Ridge, Tennessee. TVA has entered into a collaboration with OPG to coordinate efforts to move SMR technology forward. In addition, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and CNSC are collaborating on licensing the two projects.  

In June 2022, SaskPower announced that it selected the BWRX-300 for potential deployment in Saskatchewan in the mid-2030s.

In Poland, ORLEN Synthos Green Energy (OSGE) and its partners started the pre-licensing process by submitting an application to Poland’s National Atomic Energy Agency for assessment of the BWRX-300. OSGE said it plans to deploy a fleet of BWRX-300s with the potential for deployment of the first of those units by the end of the decade.

GEH has also begun the licensing process for the BWRX-300 in the U.K.

The leaders of Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) this week met at the Darlington Nuclear site in Ontario to discuss the companies’ actions to deploy small modular reactors (SMRs) in Canada and the U.S.

Earlier in 2022 the two companies agreed to work together to mitigate the financial risk that comes with development of advanced nuclear technology, as well as future deployment costs.

“Canada and the U.S. have a rich history of partnership for the greater good,” said TVA President and CEO Jeff Lyash. “Today, we have an opportunity to build on that partnership and make nuclear energy an impactful contributor to a carbon-free energy future for all of North America.”

OPG is deploying an SMR at the Darlington site, the only location in Canada licensed for new nuclear construction with an approved Environmental Assessment. OPG recently announced a contract with ES Fox to proceed with early site work, including water, electrical power, information technology, and roads. The work is expected to begin when necessary permits and regulatory approvals are in place.

OPG announced plans late last year to collaborate with GE Hitachi on SMR engineering, design, planning, preparing the licensing and permitting materials and performing site preparation activities.

OPG also announced plans to work with X-energy to possibly deploy the latter’s Xe-100 SMRs to decarbonize heavy industry applications in Canada.

TVA currently holds the U.S.’s only Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) early site permit for SMR deployment at its Clinch River Nuclear site near Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

TVA entered into an agreement to potentially deploy GE-Hitachi’s BWRX-300 SMR at Clinch River.