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Darlington Nuclear Reactor Refurbishments Completed Ahead of Schedule and Under Budget.
These are heavy water reactors, CANDUs, which I regard as important reactors for doing away with uranium enrichment (although I see no plans to so use them). Their lifetime has been extended until 2055.
Darlington refurb completed ahead of schedule, under budget.
The refurbishment of the fourth and final Candu reactor at the Darlington nuclear power plant in Ontario has been completed and the unit is expected to be restarted later this month, four months ahead of schedule.
Candu units are pressurised heavy water reactors designed to operate for 30 years before refurbishment. Refurbishment is a major undertaking: it includes the replacement of key reactor components such as steam generators, pressure tubes, calandria tubes and feeder tubes, and involves removing all the reactor's fuel and heavy water and isolating it from the rest of the power station before it is dismantled. Thousands of components are inspected before the plant is rebuilt and is ready for another 30 years of operation.
Ontario Power Generation's (OPG's) Darlington units were refurbished in a ten-year, CAD12.8 billion (USD9.4 billion) project that will extend the plant's operating life to at least 2055. Unit 2 was the first to be refurbished and returned to service in June 2020; unit 3 returned to service in July 2023; and unit 1 returned to service in November 2024...
..."Ontario is proving to the world that we can deliver major nuclear energy projects on-time and on-budget," Lecce said. "Last year we returned another refurbished unit at Darlington four months ahead of schedule, and today we've done it again. Completing the full Darlington refurbishment on-time and under-budget is a made-in-Canada win for our economy, generating CAD90 billion in economic benefits and supporting 14,200 good-paying jobs. In a world of uncertainty, our government is doubling down on Canadian nuclear technology and workers, with 94% of investment benefiting Ontario's supply chain. It is a tremendous industrial advantage that Canada is among only six nations that own civilian nuclear technology..."
Candu units are pressurised heavy water reactors designed to operate for 30 years before refurbishment. Refurbishment is a major undertaking: it includes the replacement of key reactor components such as steam generators, pressure tubes, calandria tubes and feeder tubes, and involves removing all the reactor's fuel and heavy water and isolating it from the rest of the power station before it is dismantled. Thousands of components are inspected before the plant is rebuilt and is ready for another 30 years of operation.
Ontario Power Generation's (OPG's) Darlington units were refurbished in a ten-year, CAD12.8 billion (USD9.4 billion) project that will extend the plant's operating life to at least 2055. Unit 2 was the first to be refurbished and returned to service in June 2020; unit 3 returned to service in July 2023; and unit 1 returned to service in November 2024...
..."Ontario is proving to the world that we can deliver major nuclear energy projects on-time and on-budget," Lecce said. "Last year we returned another refurbished unit at Darlington four months ahead of schedule, and today we've done it again. Completing the full Darlington refurbishment on-time and under-budget is a made-in-Canada win for our economy, generating CAD90 billion in economic benefits and supporting 14,200 good-paying jobs. In a world of uncertainty, our government is doubling down on Canadian nuclear technology and workers, with 94% of investment benefiting Ontario's supply chain. It is a tremendous industrial advantage that Canada is among only six nations that own civilian nuclear technology..."