GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GVH) has announced plans to establish a Canadian engineering and service center in Ontario to support its fleet of BWRX-300 small modular reactors. The facility will be located in Durham region, near the Ontario Power Generation (OPG) Darlington New Nuclear Project site.
GVH plans to invest up to $50 million USD in the center, contingent on the development and construction of three additional BWRX-300 units at the Darlington site. The new hub will provide engineering and technical support for long-term SMR operations and serve as a focal point for training, innovation, and supply chain coordination.
The center is expected to attract approximately 2,000 professionals, suppliers, and global partners to Ontario each year, offering substantial economic advantages to the Durham area. It will also include a virtual reality simulator for SMR training and support outage planning, refueling, and maintenance operations for BWRX-300 reactors.
Heather Chalmers, President and CEO of GE Vernova Canada, stated, "The Canadian BWRX-300 Engineering and Service Centre will bolster Ontario's position as a nuclear leader and further cultivate Canada's nuclear energy workforce with an industry-leading training ecosystem…"
Ontario Minister of Energy and Mines Stephen Lecce added, "Ontario is proud to lead the world in next-generation nuclear innovation, creating good-paying local jobs, training thousands of skilled workers and delivering clean, reliable power for decades to come…"
This announcement follows the province's recent approval to begin construction of the first BWRX-300 at Darlington-making Ontario the first G7 jurisdiction to greenlight a grid-scale SMR. The initial unit is scheduled to be completed by the decade's end.
The new engineering and service center is slated to be operational by late 2027. It will also support other GE Vernova divisions and complement GVH's existing operations in Wilmington, North Carolina.
