From Plans to Pauses: The Rocky Road of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Deployment in Canada

Christian Poole
Jul 7
3 min read

Updated: Aug 14

Canada’s SMR strategy earned us international attention. National action plans, major investments, and provincial partnerships all aim to position the country as a global SMR leader. But as promising as that sounds, Canada’s path toward operational SMRs has been more complex than hoped.

For some background, check out our article, What Are Small Modular Reactors, and Why Is Canada Betting on Them?

The Big Picture: Canada’s National SMR Strategy

Canada’s SMR Action Plan brings together federal and provincial governments, utilities, Indigenous communities, and private industry under the “Team Canada” banner. The goal? Develop a new generation of small reactors to power communities, industrial sites, and the grid.

But despite all this momentum, no SMR in Canada has yet produced electricity.

For a more in-depth look, check out the article by Denis Koshelev – Small Modular Reactors in Canada: Current Status and Prospects.

The Chalk River Project Stalled Start

The Global First Power (GFP) Micro Modular Reactor (MMR) project in Ontario was supposed to be one of Canada’s first operational SMRs. The plant was intended to supply heat and electricity, featuring a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor designed by USNC.

But as of January 2025, the project is on indefinite hold, with regulatory processes paused by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC).
Environmental reviews, Indigenous consultations, and safety verifications are proving more complex than anticipated.
Worse still, the developer, Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC), an American company specializing in high-temperature gas-cooled reactor designs, has no commercially operational SMRs. The company’s website says demo units are scheduled for 2026. Still, this timeline appears optimistic, given the regulatory delays in Chalk River.

Darlington Small Modular Reactor Project: A New Hope?

While the Chalk River project stalls, attention shifts to a larger initiative in Darlington. In May 2025, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) received approval to begin constructing a 300 MW BWRX-300 SMR, which could power up to 300,000 homes.

Key features:

Four planned reactor units
$20.9 billion total estimated cost
Modular + open-top construction methods to reduce build time and concrete use

The Darlington project is now the frontrunner in Canada’s SMR race, but still depends on this not-yet-commercially proven technology.

Other Provincial Efforts

New Brunswick: NB Power and ARC Clean Technology are pursuing an ARC-100 SMR at the Point Lepreau site. Licensing and environmental assessments are underway.
Saskatchewan: SaskPower and GE Hitachi aim to build a BWRX-300 SMR, with a final investment decision expected in 2029.
Alberta: Nucleon Energy and ARC Clean Technology have signed an MOU to explore SMR feasibility.

All of these projects could be approved sooner because the new Bill C-5 grants the federal cabinet increased authority over major infrastructure projects.

Economics, Waste, and Global Competition

SMRs could generate billions in GDP and thousands of jobs in Canada. But some things are still uncertain.

Costs are still undefined.
Public trust requires waste disposal solutions.
Fragmentation in reactor designs may prevent economies of scale.
International competition is fierce. Russia and China already have operational SMRs.

Canada’s private-sector-driven approach must compete with state-backed SMR exporters, making strategic global partnerships essential.

Ambition Meets Reality

Canada’s vision for SMRs is bold. But so far, progress is uneven. The pause at Chalk River, slow-moving regulatory processes, and unproven reactor designs remind us that innovation often moves more slowly than policy. Perhaps there’s more hope with Bill C-5.

The Darlington project could demonstrate that SMRs can deliver on their promise, bringing Canada’s nuclear future from theory to reality.