Oakville, Ont. – October 19, 2021 – Terrestrial Energy in a statement today congratulated Ontario Power Generation (OPG) on receiving an extension to the Site Preparation License for its Darlington New Nuclear Project. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) announced its decision to renew the licence for 10 years, permitting OPG to prepare the Darlington site for the potential construction of a small modular reactor (SMR) power plant.
CNSC renews Ontario Power Generation’s site preparation licence for its Darlington New Nuclear Project – https://www.canada.ca/en/nuclear-safety-commission/news/2021/10/cnsc-renews-ontario-power-generations-site-preparation-licence-for-its-darlington-new-nuclear-project.html
OPG advances new nuclear at Darlington – CNSC approves site prep licence renewal https://www.opg.com/news-and-media/media_release/opg-advances-new-nuclear-at-darlington/
Last November, OPG announced it was resuming plans for a SMR power plant at the Darlington site. The announcement positioned OPG as the first major North American and European utility to forge ahead with the process to build a SMR power plant at one of its existing sites.
“We congratulate OPG on this licence extension, which keeps preparation work on track at the Darlington site to usher in the next generation of nuclear energy in Canada,” said Simon Irish, CEO of Terrestrial Energy. “Our growing complement of Terrestrial Energy employees in Oakville and Canadian supply chain partners are focused on the development the Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) Generation IV nuclear power plant, an all-seasons, economical and versatile energy source to accelerate our clean energy transition.”
The Terrestrial Energy IMSR power plant is one of three Small Modular Reactor (SMR) power plant designs under consideration for the Darlington project. It is one of two Generation IV technology candidates under consideration by OPG, and the IMSR is the only Canadian technology candidate.
Terrestrial Energy recently announced its upgraded IMSR400 power plant, which consists of twin IMSRs and generators to produce 390 MW of clean electricity from one facility. This upgrade came in response to utility requirements and increases the IMSR’s cost-competitiveness. The company’s Oakville operation is currently the largest SMR power plant technology development project in Canada.
About Terrestrial Energy
Terrestrial Energy is a developer of small and modular nuclear power plants that use its proprietary Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) technology. IMSR technology is non-Light Water Reactor and Generation IV technology and will generate electricity 50 percent more efficiently than conventional nuclear reactor technology. The IMSR represents a step-change improvement in economics, versatility and functionality of nuclear power plants that is possible only through Generation IV technology. IMSR power plants will provide resilient, reliable, dispatchable, zero-carbon and cost-competitive electric power, as well as high-grade industrial heat for use in many industrial applications, such as chemical synthesis, hydrogen production and desalination, and in so doing extend the application of nuclear energy far beyond electric power markets. IMSR power plants have the potential to make important contributions to industrial competitiveness, energy
