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Canada is moving from small-modular-reactor (SMR) planning to limited construction. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has licensed Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to construct one GE Hitachi BWRX-300 at Darlington, while Saskatchewan is financing studies rather than building yet. The national strategy is therefore a staged bet: prove one design, resolve licensing, waste, fuel, Indigenous-participation and financing issues, then decide whether a repeatable fleet is practical.
Is Canada actually building a small modular reactor?
Yes—but only one Canadian SMR has reached the construction-licence stage, and that licence is not permission to operate it. In April 2025, the CNSC issued OPG construction licence PRCL 32.00/2035 for one BWRX-300 at the Darlington New Nuclear Project (DNNP), valid until March 31, 2035. The decision includes environmental follow-up, regulatory hold points and conditions for Indigenous engagement.
The CNSC explicitly says operation would require a separate licence application, a future public hearing and another Commission decision. Construction approval therefore marks a significant regulatory milestone, not a commercial start date or proof that the reactor will generate electricity on a particular schedule.
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Energy Minister Tim Hodgson said at the launch of Canada’s 2026 Nuclear Energy Strategy that Ontario’s project “will make Canada the first country in the G7 to deploy a small modular reactor.” That is a policy statement about the intended deployment, not evidence that an operating licence or commercial service date has already been secured.
Where the two leading projects stand
| Project | Reactor design | Current stage | Scale or timing | Public funding and projections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darlington, Ontario (OPG) | GE Hitachi BWRX-300 | Construction licence for one unit; operating licence not issued | Site proposed for up to four reactors; federal programme advancing three more | Three units are described as about 900 MW serving approximately 900,000 homes, based on the March 2025 federal announcement |
| Saskatchewan (SaskPower) | GE Hitachi BWRX-300 selected for evaluation | Pre-engineering, studies, environmental and regulatory work, and engagement | Potential mid-2030s deployment; build decision expected in 2029 | Up to $74 million in federal development support; economic figures are commissioned projections |
Darlington is the reference project
Darlington is an existing nuclear site, giving OPG an established location, grid connection and nuclear-operating organization. The current licence covers one BWRX-300, even though the broader DNNP proposal contemplates as many as four reactors. That distinction matters: a site-level concept is not the same as authorization for a full fleet.
The next regulatory gates include satisfying licence conditions and hold points during construction, then applying for permission to commission and operate. Until the CNSC reaches a later operating decision, claims about routine electricity production, final operating dates or completed safety authorization remain premature.
The March 2025 federal announcement’s support for three additional units is a development commitment, not a statement of final construction cost or guaranteed build authorization. No published figure in the available official material establishes Darlington’s all-in capital cost, levelized cost of electricity or commercial operation date.
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Saskatchewan is funded to prepare, not committed to build
Natural Resources Canada announced up to $74 million for SaskPower’s pre-engineering, technical studies, environmental and regulatory work, and community and Indigenous engagement. SaskPower selected the BWRX-300 for potential deployment in the mid-2030s, but the province expects to decide whether to build in 2029.
That sequence allows Saskatchewan to test site conditions, grid needs, supply-chain assumptions and regulatory requirements before taking on construction risk. It also means “Saskatchewan is getting an SMR” is not yet an accurate description: the province is developing a project option whose construction decision remains in the future.
Economic figures cited in the federal release are forecasts for a possible 1,200-MW Saskatchewan build-out, not realised results. A Conference Board of Canada study commissioned by SaskPower and OPG estimated approximately 1,700 direct and indirect jobs, an $8.8 billion increase in gross domestic product over the facilities’ 60-year lifespan, $5.6 billion in wages and $2.9 billion in tax revenue. Those values depend on the build-out occurring and should not be read as guaranteed returns from the current study phase.
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Natural Resources Canada’s SMR Roadmap was developed with provinces, utilities, Indigenous and northern stakeholders and industry. It contains more than 50 recommendations covering regulatory readiness, radioactive-waste management, international engagement and public participation.
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The 2020 federal SMR Action Plan describes possible uses in three broad markets:
- Grid electricity: firm, non-emitting generation alongside other sources.
- Heavy industry: electricity and potentially heat for energy-intensive operations.
- Remote communities: an option for locations where diesel or long transmission lines are costly, subject to safety, logistics and community consent.
The same action plan cited a potential global SMR market worth $150 billion per year by 2040. That is a government-cited projection, not a guaranteed market size or Canadian export revenue.
Federal and provincial documents frame SMRs as a way to provide reliable, non-emitting power while creating domestic engineering, manufacturing and construction work. The argument is strongest where electricity demand is steady and alternatives have high fuel, transmission or emissions costs; it is weaker if financing, construction delays or fuel and waste services erase those advantages.
The issues that will decide whether the bet scales
Licensing and emergency planning
Canada must demonstrate that a new reactor design, site and operating organization meet CNSC requirements. The Darlington licence includes hold points and follow-up obligations, and an operating licence would require another hearing. Emergency planning must also be appropriate for the design, site and surrounding communities.
Capital cost and financing
SMRs are smaller than conventional reactors, but the first unit still carries design, licensing, manufacturing and project-management costs that a later fleet might spread across multiple units. Canada has not yet published a final all-in Darlington construction cost or a validated levelized-electricity figure in the material available for this article. Investors and ratepayers will need transparent estimates, contingencies and responsibility for overruns.
Fuel, transport and supply chains
A commercial fleet needs dependable fuel fabrication, component manufacturing, quality assurance and transportation. Canada’s roadmap identifies fuel and transport as implementation issues; solving them for one demonstration unit is different from supporting many reactors across provinces or remote locations.
Used fuel, waste and decommissioning
SMRs produce radioactive used fuel that requires secure handling, storage and eventual disposal. The national roadmap places waste management at the centre of implementation. Any repeatable programme must explain who funds interim storage, how material moves safely, what the long-term disposal pathway is and how decommissioning liabilities are reserved.
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Both the Darlington licence conditions and Saskatchewan’s funded work include Indigenous engagement. Consultation is not a box to check after a technical decision: projects must address rights, environmental concerns, emergency planning, procurement opportunities and, where communities seek it, meaningful participation or ownership arrangements.
Public confidence and affordability
Non-emitting generation can support climate and reliability goals, but “clean” does not automatically mean inexpensive. Public acceptance will depend on credible safety information, transparent costs, responsible waste plans and evidence that communities benefit. The government’s projected jobs, GDP, wages and tax figures for Saskatchewan are conditional on a future build and should be tested against actual contracts and spending.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to judge progress over the next decade
A useful scoreboard separates regulatory progress from announcements:
- Construction: whether OPG completes the licensed Darlington unit while meeting CNSC hold points and environmental conditions.
- Operation: whether OPG obtains a separate operating licence after a public hearing.
- Economics: final capital cost, financing terms, schedule performance and delivered electricity cost, reported with contingencies.
- Replication: whether additional units use a stable design and supply chain rather than restarting first-of-a-kind work each time.
- Saskatchewan’s decision: whether studies support a 2029 build decision and a credible mid-2030s schedule.
- Fuel and waste: functioning Canadian arrangements for fuel supply, transport, used-fuel storage and eventual disposal.
- Rights and trust: documented Indigenous participation and durable local support, not only consultation records.
On that measure, Canada’s bet is real but incomplete. Darlington has crossed the construction-licence threshold; Saskatchewan has crossed the funded-development threshold. Whether those steps become an affordable, safe and repeatable fleet will be determined by the decisions that follow.
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