Ontario's SMR Pivot Trades Domestic Fuel Independence for Foreign Reliance
The Darlington New Nuclear Project marks a departure from Canada's history of nuclear self-reliance, relying on U.S., French, and British suppliers for fuel enrichment.
Ontario is moving away from decades of nuclear self-reliance with the construction of the Darlington New Nuclear Project in Clarington, Ont. As reported by CBC Toronto, the province is building the first of four planned BWRX-300 small modular reactors (SMRs), an American-Japanese design that requires enriched uranium—a process Canada cannot currently perform domestically.
This shift reverses the founding logic of the Candu reactor system, which used natural uranium to avoid dependence on foreign enrichment. According to CBC Toronto, the new supply chain involves Cameco mining uranium in Saskatchewan and converting it in Port Hope, Ont., before it is sent to the United States for enrichment. Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has also listed Britain's Urenco and France's Orano as suppliers of enriched uranium, while an American company will manufacture the final fuel assemblies in the U.S.
Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce defended the decision to "go global" during a July 29 news conference, stating there was no commercially viable, grid-scale Canadian SMR technology available. He argued that utilizing suppliers across the U.S., France, and Britain creates a resilient chain. OPG expects the first BWRX-300 to connect to the grid by the end of 2030, with three more planned for the mid-2030s.
However, Mark Winfield, a York University professor, told CBC Toronto that relying on imported fuel exposes Canada to geopolitical risks, noting that foreign governments could disrupt the supply during political disputes. While the Candu Monark is under regulatory assessment, it is not an SMR and was not a viable alternative for the project.