Canada wants to build small nuclear power reactors for neighborhoods.
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LET'S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK :
Canada is actively planning and investing in small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) with the goal of providing safe, clean, and affordable energy for diverse applications—including potentially powering neighborhoods, remote communities, and industrial sites.
● SMR Deployment Plans :
The first commercial SMR plant in Canada is set for construction at Darlington, Ontario, with operations expected to begin around 2030.
Canada’s national SMR Action Plan includes collaborative efforts between federal, provincial, and Indigenous governments, utilities, innovators, and communities to promote SMR development and deployment at multiple scales.
Industry projections indicate that scaled-down or micro-SMRs might eventually provide distributed power for small communities, neighborhoods, and even off-grid sites.
● Community and Neighborhood Potential :
Early-stage SMRs will supply power mainly to cities and industrial facilities, but ongoing research is focused on adapting these reactors for smaller-scale, distributed energy for neighborhoods and remote communities.
The versatility of SMRs makes them suitable for regions with smaller grids, offering emissions-free energy in areas where building large power plants would be impractical.
Canada’s efforts toward SMRs could transform local energy infrastructure over the next decade, starting with larger deployments like Darlington, and potentially expanding to neighborhood and community-level use as the technology and regulatory frameworks mature.
● Investment funding :
Canada's investment in small modular reactors (SMRs) involves substantial public and private funding at multiple levels.
▪︎ Key figures include :
The Province of Ontario alone is investing about CAD $1 billion to build and support the first small modular reactors at the Darlington site, aiming to have the first operational SMR by around 2030.
The federal government, through various programs and collaborations, has allocated over $1B to support SMR research, development, and demonstration projects nationwide as part of the national SMR Action Plan.
Total combined investments from federal, provincial, Indigenous partnerships, industry stakeholders, and research organizations are expected to run into several billions of CAD over the next five years to enable large-scale deployment and commercialization of SMRs, including infrastructure, regulation, and integration efforts.
Thus, Canada is committing multiple billions of dollars toward SMR technology development, with major initial projects receiving specific large-scale funding like the CAD 1 billion Ontario investment, supporting Canada’s clean energy transition goals.
● Size of SMRs :
Small modular reactors (SMRs) are significantly smaller than traditional nuclear power reactors in both physical size and power output.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) defines SMRs as having a power capacity up to about 300 megawatts electric (MWe), which is roughly one-third or less of the typical large nuclear reactors that produce around 1,000 MWe (1 gigawatt electric) or more per unit.
▪︎ Size and Power Comparison :
☆ Traditional Nuclear Reactors :
Output :
- approximately 1,000 MWe or more
Physical Footprint :
- often over one square mile (hundreds of acres)
Construction :
- highly custom-built
- complex
- takes about 8-10 years to construct
Staffing :
- thousands of personnel required
☆ Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) :
Output :
- typically 20 to 300 MWe per module
Physical Footprint :
- much smaller
- typically requiring less than 100 acres
- sometimes only a few acres per unit
Construction :
- factory-fabricated modules transported for on-site assembly, enabling faster and more affordable build times (3-5 years)
Staffing :
- significantly fewer personnel needed (tens to low hundreds)
Microreactors :
- even smaller than SMRs, generally less than 20 MWe and physically compact enough to fit in a footprint as small as less than 1 acre, suitable for localized energy needs.
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● Modular Benefits and Scalability :
SMRs can be deployed as multiple smaller units ("Lego-block" style) on a single site to scale up power output, unlike traditional gigantic reactors that are built as one massive facility.
This modularity also allows for incremental capacity increases, better matching grid or community needs, and potentially reducing risks and upfront costs.
This size and power scaling makes SMRs and microreactors attractive for distributed generation, smaller grids, and flexible, phased deployment—especially for neighborhoods, remote communities, and industrial sites where large reactors are impractical.
In comparison to traditional nuclear plants, SMRs represent a smaller-scale, more rapidly deployable, and potentially more affordable nuclear power option suited for modern energy needs.
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LINKS/ READINGS/ SOURCES/ REFERENCES :
https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/energy-power-supply/going-nuclear-a-guide-to-smrs-and-nuclear-powered-data-centers
https://www.lastenergy.com/blog/microreactors-smrs-and-traditional-plants
https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/nuclear-energy/small-modular-reactors/small-modular-reactors-explained_en
https://inl.gov/trending-topics/microreactors/
https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/what-are-small-modular-reactors-smrs
https://smractionplan.ca/
https://smrroadmap.ca/
https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1006638/ontario-investing-1-billion-to-build-small-modular-reactors-at-darlington
https://www.cer-rec.gc.ca/en/data-analysis/energy-markets/market-snapshots/2025/market-snapshot-canadas-role-in-small-modular-reactor-smr-technology.html
https://www.canada.ca/en/natural-resources-canada/news/2025/03/canada-invests-in-the-next-generation-of-canadian-made-clean-affordable-nuclear-energy0.html
https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy-sources/nuclear-energy-uranium/canada-s-small-modular-reactor-action-plan
https://www.rbc.com/en/thought-leadership/climate-action-institute/energy-reports/think-small-how-canada-can-make-small-modular-nuclear-reactors-a-priority/
https://policyoptions.irpp.org/2020/08/small-modular-reactors-arent-the-energy-answer-for-remote-communities-and-mines/
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