Key facts
- Ontario Power Generation applied to the CNSC for a 20-year operating licence for the first BWRX-300 at Darlington
- If approved, it would be the first operating small modular reactor in a G7 country
- A public hearing precedes the decision; the date is not yet announced
A regulatory first
Ontario Power Generation has reached a critical regulatory milestone in Canada's nuclear energy transition, submitting its application for a licence to operate the first BWRX-300 small modular reactor at the Darlington New Nuclear Project.
The application, submitted to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, seeks a 20-year operating licence. If approved, the facility is poised to become the first small modular reactor to operate within a G7 nation — a significant leap for the commercialisation of SMR technology globally. The application also covers an associated low- and intermediate-level waste storage structure.
Regulatory path and public oversight
The CNSC has confirmed receipt of the application and noted that the decision will follow a public hearing, the date of which is yet to be announced. OPG emphasised that the operating licence is a prerequisite for completing the commissioning process and ensuring safe operation once construction concludes.
Why it matters
Darlington is the reference project for the BWRX-300 family worldwide. Utilities from Poland to Tennessee are watching the same design move through licensing, procurement and construction — and an operating licence at Darlington would be the strongest signal yet that the SMR model can deliver, on schedule, inside a G7 regulatory framework.
Background
The BWRX-300 is GE Vernova Hitachi's 300 MWe boiling-water small modular reactor, derived from the NRC-licensed ESBWR and fueled with GNF2 fuel already in commercial use. Unit 1 at Ontario Power Generation's Darlington site — the first Western SMR to reach construction — is being built with four units approved there totalling about 1,200 MW, and Poland's Orlen Synthos Green Energy is seeking state financing for 14 units across three sites. (As of August 2026.) Read the BWRX-300 explainer.
Questions
- When will the licence decision be made?
- The CNSC will hold a public hearing first; the date has not yet been announced. The operating licence is a prerequisite for completing commissioning once construction concludes.
Sources
- OPG submits operating licence application for Darlington SMR — Ontario Power Generation
About Nuclear News Network
Nuclear News Network (NNN) is an independent publication covering the global nuclear energy sector — reactor construction, SMRs, fuel supply, policy, operations and fusion. NNN publishes a daily brief, same-day analysis of major developments, and reference guides used across the industry. Articles are produced by the NNN Newsroom, an editorial automation system with human oversight, under the publication's editorial standards. Ruben Seoane is the founder and main editor of NNN.