Canada has started building its first small modular reactor, but it will not use fully Canadian-made nuclear fuel. The project is led by Ontario Power Generation (OPG), and the reactor will depend on enriched uranium from the United States, France, and Britain. This is a major change from Canada’s older nuclear system, which mostly used fuel produced at home.
Canada’s first small modular reactor (SMR) is being built at the Darlington New Nuclear Project in Ontario. According to CBC News, the reactor is a BWRX-300 design that uses low-enriched uranium instead of the natural uranium used by Canada’s older Candu reactors. This means part of the fuel supply must come from other countries.
The BWRX-300 reactor was developed by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, an American-Japanese company. Ontario Power Generation (OPG) is leading the Darlington project. Cameco, a Canadian uranium company, will mine uranium in Saskatchewan and process it in Ontario before it is sent overseas for enrichment. CBC News reports that France’s Orano, Britain’s Urenco, and a U.S. company will also take part in the fuel supply chain.
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This change solves one problem but creates another. Small modular reactors are designed to be smaller, simpler, and faster to build than traditional nuclear plants. However, they need enriched uranium, and Canada does not currently have commercial facilities to enrich that fuel.
The fuel journey has several steps. Uranium is mined in Canada and converted into another form for processing. It is then shipped to enrichment plants in the United States, France, or Britain. After enrichment, the fuel is made into reactor fuel assemblies in the United States before returning to Canada for use.
If the project stays on schedule, the first reactor could begin producing electricity by the end of 2030. Three more reactors are planned for the mid-2030s. Supporters say these reactors can provide reliable low-carbon electricity and help meet growing power demand.
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The project also has limits. Experts say relying on foreign enrichment could create supply risks if political tensions or trade problems interrupt access to nuclear fuel. Professor Mark Winfield, a sustainable energy and climate policy expert at York University, said this dependence could reduce Canada’s control over its own nuclear energy supply.
The project matters because it marks a major shift in Canada’s nuclear strategy. For decades, Candu reactors were designed to avoid dependence on foreign enriched uranium. The new SMRs could support cleaner electricity, but they also raise new questions about energy security, supply chains, and Canada’s long-term nuclear plans.
