$20B New Nuclear project team installs reactor foundation with millimetre precision

Key Takeaways:

• Construction crews completed the installation of a 952,544-kilogram (2.1-million-pound) basemat module representing the first new nuclear reactor foundation in Ontario in three decades.
• More than 100 Canadian companies have joined the project supply chain.
• The completed four-reactor facility will generate 1,200 megawatts of electricity to provide power for 1.2 million homes.

The Whole Story:

Canada’s nuclear sector just took a giant step forward.

Construction crews at the Darlington New Nuclear Project have installed a 952,544-kilogram basemat module for the Unit 1 Small Modular Reactor (SMR). The precision placement represents the first foundation of a new nuclear reactor to be built in Ontario in over 30 years.

The Unit 1 build is the first of four planned SMRs at the site that will eventually produce a combined 1,200 megawatts (MW) of electricity. Site preparation for the first unit originally began in December 2022, with a Licence to Construct obtained from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission in April 2025.

The lift was executed with millimetre precision using an LR/LE 12500-1.0 crawler crane, which features a lifting capacity of up to 2,267,961 kilograms (2,500 tons) and a reach exceeding 200 metres. Following the installation of the basemat foundation, the project team is transitioning to the construction of the reactor building’s structure, internal systems, and primary components.

The project is supported by a combined $3-billion investment, including $1 billion from the provincial Building Ontario Fund and $2 billion from the federal Canada Growth Fund.

The construction and eventual operation of the four units are estimated to add $38.5 billion to Canada’s GDP over a 65-year period. Recently awarded sub-contracts for Unit 1 include a $44.5-million contract for structural steel to Hamilton-based Walters Group and $17.8 million for a condensate purification package to Marmon Industrial Water of Toronto.

The development phase currently supports 18,000 jobs, with an estimated 3,800 highly skilled positions required to maintain the facility over the next 65 years.

“With the foundation of the first Small Modular Reactor at the Darlington New Nuclear Project in place, we are now able to begin building up, with the project team now advancing construction on the reactor building’s structure, internal systems and components,” said Nicolle Butcher, OPG president and CEO.

The advancement of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology has emerged as a cornerstone of Canada’s strategy for energy sovereignty, industrial decarbonization, and global trade. Federal and provincial governments have identified three primary domestic applications for SMRs: providing grid-scale baseload power for growing urban populations, replacing coal-fired plants, and supplying heat and electricity to remote communities and heavy industries, such as mining and the oil sands. These reactors are also being positioned to meet the high electricity demands of AI computing infrastructure and data centers, which require a dense, carbon-free energy supply.