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 875 MW, providing a combined capacity of 3 500 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
Unit 1, the third of four units to be refurbished, has successfully completed its overhaul five months ahead of schedule and will soon be returned to the grid.

The unit was taken offline for refurbishment in February 2022. Prior to this, Unit 1 ran for more than 1 000 days, setting a world record for continuous operation of a nuclear power reactor.

It now joins Units 2 and 3, which were successfully refurbished in 2020 and 2023 respectively.

Unit 4, the final unit undergoing refurbishment, is in the reactor rebuilding phase and progressing on schedule to be completed by the end of 2026 to conclude the megaproject.

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

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