Name of the Project
Darlington Nuclear Generating Station (DNGS) refurbishment project.

Location
Ontario, Canada.

Project Owner/s
Ontario Power Generation (OPG).

Project Description
The DNGS is a four-unit nuclear power plant owned and operated by OPG.

Every unit comprises a Candu pressurised heavy water reactor with a net generating capacity of 881 MW, providing a combined capacity of 3 524 MW.

The project involves the refurbishment of each of the four DNGS reactors at the facility and continued operation of each reactor for about 30 years.

The project includes the defuelling and dewatering of the reactors; the replacement of reactor components – fuel channel assemblies and feeder pipes, repair and maintenance, as well as upgrades to the balance of plant.

The project further comprises the management of nuclear and nonnuclear waste, including storage of retube waste and transportation of miscellaneous low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste.

The reactors will also be filled with heavy water, and refuelled and restarted.

Potential Job Creation
The refurbishment will create an estimated 8 800 jobs a year during the construction period and preserve 3 000 full-time positions.

Capital Expenditure
C$12.8-billion.

Planned Start/End Date
The project is scheduled for completion in 2026.

Unit 2 was the first to be refurbished and returned to service in June 2020; Unit 3 returned to service in July 2023.

Latest Developments
The project is 86% complete. Unit 1 is on track to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2024, ahead of plan.

Meanwhile, disassembly work on Unit 4 is continuing – and the company has announced its latest corporate green bond issue.

The refurbishment of Unit 4, which started in July 2023, is 42% complete and is on schedule, with recent highlights including the completion of calandria tube insert removal, allowing for ongoing work to remove the unit's 480 calandria tubes and pressure tubes, which is expected to be completed during the current quarter.

The refurbishment of the four units remains on target for completion by the end of 2026. 

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
GE Power (stator).

Contact Details for Project Information
OPG, email darlingtonrefurb@opg.com.