Small Modular Reactors Move from Promise to Reality
In January 2025, the Government of Ontario and GE Hitachi announced that BWX Technologies Inc. was awarded contracts to manufacture the reactor pressure vessel for the first BWRX-300 small modular reactor at Ontario Power Generation’s Darlington site, and 48 steam generators for the Pickering life extension program. The contracts are worth more than CAD 1 billion (USD 696 million).
The commercial readiness of small modular reactors (SMRs) is being demonstrated through active projects in multiple markets. In Canada, BWX Technologies Inc. has secured contracts worth more than $730 million to manufacture components for GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s BWRX-300 at the Darlington site in Ontario. Once completed, this will be the first grid-scale SMR in a G7 nation.
Momentum is also building in Europe. Swedish utility Vattenfall has shortlisted the BWRX-300 and the Rolls-Royce SMR for its new nuclear program, aiming to bring a reactor online by the early 2030s. Vattenfall cited the maturity of the designs and their potential to be delivered within manageable timeframes and budgets.
These developments are influencing utilities in Asia. In the Philippines, Meralco has initiated exploratory talks with SMR vendors to assess deployment options. For the regional market, these projects abroad strengthen the case that SMRs are not experimental, but increasingly bankable assets for the energy transition in Asia.
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