Construction Begins on First Grid-Scale Small Modular Reactor in the West

Construction has officially commenced for the first grid-scale Small Modular Reactor (SMR) in the Western world. Despite being labeled as "small," these reactors still occupy an area equivalent to two football fields. According to AutoNotion, a 953-ton concrete and steel foundation has been placed into a 35-meter deep well at the new Darlington nuclear site in Ontario, "concluding a decade of discussion" about this new nuclear technology and opening a new phase of action.

Darlington Project - A Pioneer for SMRs in the West

This concrete foundation serves as the base for the first BWRX-300 modular reactor, designed by GE Vernova (formerly GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy). The plan includes building four units at this site, each with 300 megawatts of electrical capacity, sufficient to power 300,000 homes. For comparison, each of Darlington's four traditional nuclear reactors provides 935 MW.

The Ontario government's support for the $20.9 billion CAD project was granted after Ontario Power Generation (OPG) received a Construction License in April 2025 from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. The first reactor is estimated to cost $7.7 billion CAD, including $6.1 billion for the unit and an additional $1.6 billion for roads, tunnels, cooling water pipes, and other infrastructure shared among all four units.

Upon completion, this will be the first commercial grid-scale SMR in the West, with a target operational date of 2030. Russia and China already operate Small Modular Reactors, and Argentina is building a demonstration model. According to AutoNotion, the New Darlington Nuclear Project is the first project by a G7 country to be constructed and connected to the main grid.

SMRs in Canada - Diverse Applications

In Canada, SMRs are also considered ideal for deployment in remote locations such as mining operations or oil sands, as well as in northern Canadian communities that rely on diesel generators for electricity. In addition to OPG, Saskatchewan's SaskPower has also expressed interest in building BWRX-300 reactors.

Some of the most advanced SMR technology research is being conducted in New Brunswick. NB Power is currently collaborating with two private sector partners, ARC Clean Technology and Moltex Energy, to advance the Generation IV Plus SMR Grid-sized technology for use in the Maritime province. In 2023, the New Brunswick government signed an agreement with the Saskatchewan government to further enhance cooperation in SMR development and deployment.

A study by X-energy Canada has confirmed the feasibility and benefits of repurposing an existing heat site in Alberta with X-energy's small modular reactors, according to World Nuclear News. In 2023, Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) committed $7 million to Cenovus (TSX: CVE), a Calgary-based energy company, to research the use of small modular reactors in oil sands operations.

Global SMR Development - International Interest

While no SMRs have yet been built in the United States, the Department of Energy has announced funding of up to $5.5 billion. The Tennessee Valley Authority is interested in building BWRX-300 reactors, as are companies in Poland and Estonia, according to reports from The Globe and Mail.

Meanwhile, Westinghouse, which built the world's first commercial pressurized water reactor at Shippingport, PA, in 2023, has launched a smaller version of its flagship AP1000 reactor. This unit, like the BWRX-300, can generate 300 MW of electricity, compared to 1,200 MW for the AP1000. Expected to be available by 2027, it will cost $1 billion per unit - significantly less than the $6.8 billion estimated to bring an AP1000 online.

Technology Investment in SMRs - Meeting Data Center Demands

An increasing number of technology companies are investing in SMR technology, hoping to provide clean energy for high-demand data centers. The industry hopes SMR technology will be ready to power some data centers in the 2030s as their energy demands increase alongside the deployment of artificial intelligence and other complex technologies.

This has led Google to order seven SMRs, with Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta following suit. Bill Gates' Terrapower is one of the U.S. companies currently building SMRs. Terrapower broke ground on its first project in Wyoming in 2024 and is awaiting approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, expected by late 2026.

SMRs in Europe - Strong Development

Further afield, France has announced $1.1 billion to develop an SMR design. In 2025, the UK government selected aerospace company Rolls-Royce as the preferred developer of SMR technology, with over $800 million in funding from the UK national fund. Rolls-Royce will develop its first SMR project at Wylfa on Anglesey Island, where plans to build a traditional nuclear plant were canceled in 2020.

In June, Rolls-Royce SMR was selected by Swedish development company Vattenfall to build SMRs in Sweden, marking a multi-billion-pound export deal between the UK and Sweden. In the Netherlands, nuclear startup Thorion has announced a new alliance to develop molten salt SMRs. The company is currently building a 100 MW Molten Salt Reactor (MSR), Thorizon One, which it hopes to operate in a test plant in the mid-2030s.

Benefits of SMRs - The Future of Clean Energy

Facing stringent emission reduction requirements, many countries are beginning to reassess nuclear energy and are considering building plants that are not as expensive, risky, or politically contentious as traditional nuclear reactors. Typically under 300 megawatts, SMRs are cheaper and can be built faster than large nuclear reactors, which often have capacities of 1,000 MW and large footprints.

Interest in small reactors is driven by the desire to reduce capital costs and provide energy away from large grid systems. SMRs are built with prefabricated modules that can be transported by truck or rail - making them an ideal choice for remote locations where a traditional reactor would be impractical.

Another significant advantage is that they are less prone to overheating, as their smaller cores generate less heat than large reactors. They also have fewer moving parts, including cooling pumps, reducing the likelihood of failures that could cause accidents. The fuel, steam, and generator are all contained within a single unit.

MSR Technology - The Future of Nuclear Energy

Small reactors are also being considered by industrial manufacturers as a source of non-carbon-emitting heat. MSRs operate using a radioactive solution that combines fissile isotopes with liquid salt. While they can be operated with uranium, they perform optimally with thorium, a cleaner, safer, and more abundant nuclear fuel.

According to AutoNotion, the BMRX-300 being built in Ontario runs on low-enriched uranium, compared to Canada's existing fleet of CANDU reactors, which run on unenriched uranium. The country does not enrich uranium domestically, meaning "the new reactors will need a fuel supply that currently has to come from elsewhere. This is a problem that can be solved. It hasn't been solved yet."

Conclusion

The groundbreaking of the SMR project at Darlington marks a significant milestone in global nuclear energy development. With advantages in cost, construction time, flexibility, and safety, SMRs are increasingly becoming a clean energy option of interest to many countries and major technology companies. As the technology continues to develop and the first projects come online, SMRs could play a crucial role in meeting growing energy demands while achieving global carbon emission reduction targets.

By Andrew Topf for Oilprice.com, June 21, 2026