Clarington Mayor Cites Darlington Nuclear Project as Fast-Tracked Under Federal Program

Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster stated that the Darlington New Nuclear Project is among the first projects to be fast-tracked by the Major Projects Office under Prime Minister Mark Carney and is the only project in Ontario to receive this designation.

The project involves building Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in Clarington, which Foster described as the first reactors of their kind in Canada. According to Foster, the project is expected to create and sustain 2,600 jobs, increase Ontario’s gross domestic product by $13.7 billion, and provide power for 1.2 million people. A Conference Board of Canada estimate cited in Foster's statement predicts that the combined economic impact of the SMR project and the refurbishment of Ontario Power Generation’s Darlington CANDU reactors will total $100 billion.

Foster also noted that delegations from other countries have visited Darlington to observe progress on the SMR project, which he described as the first grid-scale SMR in the G7. According to Foster, investments from both federal and provincial governments and efforts by the nuclear industry are contributing to the project. Foster invited Prime Minister Carney to visit Clarington, the site of both the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station and the new SMR development.