Canada invented a nuclear reactor design that runs on natural uranium — and now it is building the next generation of it.
The CANDU reactor — Canada Deuterium Uranium — is one of the most distinctive nuclear designs in the world. Unlike most reactors that require enriched uranium fuel, CANDU reactors use natural uranium — exactly as it comes from the mine — moderated by heavy water. This gives Canada a unique energy independence advantage: no reliance on uranium enrichment facilities controlled by a small number of nations.
Canada's existing CANDU fleet — at Darlington and Pickering in Ontario, and Point Lepreau in New Brunswick — provides approximately 15% of Canada's electricity and over 60% of Ontario's electricity. Ontario has one of the cleanest electricity grids in North America precisely because of its nuclear base combined with hydropower.
Now Canada is building the next generation: Small Modular Reactors. The Darlington New Nuclear Project — led by Ontario Power Generation and GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy — is Canada's first SMR project, targeting a BWRX-300 boiling water reactor at the existing Darlington site. Siting approval has been granted and detailed design work is advanced, with construction expected to begin in the mid-2020s.
Canada's CANDU expertise has also found new expression in the Advanced CANDU Reactor — an evolution that can use recycled nuclear fuel from conventional light water reactors, effectively extracting additional energy from spent nuclear fuel that other reactor designs discard.
Canada gave the world CANDU. Now it is giving the world SMRs.
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission — 2024
