Canada's First SMR Basemat Installed at Darlington in Historic Nuclear Construction Milestone
According to the Daily Commercial News, a 2.1-million-pound basemat module for the Unit 1 Small Modular Reactor at Darlington, Ontario has been lifted and set in place, marking the first new nuclear reactor foundation built in Ontario in over 30 years. The precision lift was performed by an LR/LE 12500-1.0 crawler crane capable of 2,500 tons of lift capacity and more than 200 meters of reach. Aecon Kiewit Nuclear Partners holds the alliance construction contract, awarded by Ontario Power Generation in 2025. The four-unit project is expected to produce 1,200 megawatts once complete, enough to power 1.2 million homes, with the first unit carrying an estimated cost of $6.1 billion.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Over 100 Canadian companies have joined the SMR supply chain, with recent contracts awarded to firms in Hamilton, Toronto, Scarborough, and Oakville, ranging from $8.8 million to $44.5 million. Companies in structural steel, mechanical, and specialty services should be actively pursuing opportunities.
- The project is being delivered under an Integrated Project Delivery model, which typically means closer collaboration between contractors and owners. Understanding that structure is important before bidding or negotiating terms.
- Costs are expected to decline with each successive unit, similar to the Darlington Refurbishment Project. Early supply chain positioning on Unit 1 could give subcontractors a competitive edge on the remaining three units.
- For US firms watching the SMR space, the Darlington milestone is a preview of what the DOE’s advanced reactor demonstrations could mean for domestic construction demand once NuScale, TerraPower, and Kairos projects move from licensing into steel-in-the-ground.
