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Darlington’s Unit 1 refurbishment adds 875 MW to Ontario’s grid
December 2, 2024 | By Anthony Capkun
December 2, 2024 – Ontario Power Generation has completed the refurbishment of Unit 1 at Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, bringing 875 MW to the provincial grid for the next 30+ years.
“Unit 1 is the third unit we will have refurbished months ahead of schedule, safely and with quality,” said OPG president & CEO Ken Hartwick, adding that OPG and its project partner team are “clearly demonstrating we can complete large, complex nuclear projects on schedule and on budget.”
The refurbishment of Unit 1 involved the successful removal and replacement of major components of the reactor and its associated equipment, including pressure tubes, calandria tubes, and feeder pipes, as well as inspection and upgrades to the turbine generator equipment.
The refurbishment of Unit 1 was completed by roughly 6,000 workers over the course of the project, including project management, support services, and skilled tradespeople.
“Under the collaborative leadership of OPG and the Ontario government, we will continue to provide safe and high-quality services to contribute to the ongoing success of these critical projects. Congratulations to OPG and to all the dedicated workers who make these accomplishments possible,” said Black & McDonald’s Mark Healy.
Unit 1 is the third of four units that have been successfully refurbished to date. Unit 4 is tracking to be completed by 2026.
When fully completed, the Darlington refurbishment will secure 3,500 MW of power for the province. In fact, nuclear power currently provides more than 50% of Ontario’s electricity supply.
“Nuclear power is the backbone of Ontario’s clean electricity system, providing secure, affordable, and zero-emission baseload electricity to Ontario,” said Power Workers’ Union president Jeff Parnell. “The highly skilled and highly trained members of the Power Workers’ Union take tremendous pride in our commitment to the safe and affordable refurbishment and operation of the station.”
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