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

Location
Ontario, Canada.

Project Owner/s
US government business enterprise 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.

Unit 1 returned to service in January 2025.

Latest Developments
Unit 1 is, once again, generating clean, low-carbon power.

During refurbishment activities, OPG made modifications to the unit to produce the critical medical product, which is used to sterilise 30% of the world’s single-use medical devices such as syringes, gloves and implants. The isotope is also used to treat certain foods to rid them of harmful bacteria and insects, providing safety and security for the global supply chain and consumers worldwide.

Darlington’s three other units will be similarly modified during the refurbishment of Unit 4, the final unit to be overhauled in the  project, as well as during planned maintenance outages on units 2 and 3.

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

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