BWXT manufacturing facility expansion complete

The project to expand BWXT's facility - already described as the largest manufacturing facility for commercial nuclear equipment in North America - was launched in 2024 and has seen the addition of 55,000 square feet (5,110 square metres). As well as adding more advanced manufacturing equipment, the work has also increased the size of the world's largest commercial nuclear clean room by 40%, the company said.

With major projects to extend the operating lives of 10 existing Candu reactors and the construction of a GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) at the Darlington New Nuclear Project, Ontario is leading the largest nuclear life-extension and active new-build programme "on the continent", according to BWXT.

The company is already building 48 new steam generators for the life extension and refurbishment of Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) Pickering Nuclear Generating Station while also fabricating the reactor pressure vessel for Darlington SMR. The additional manufacturing capacity and capabilities position it to support the existing fleet of reactors and the next generation of nuclear projects in Canada, including work for key customers OPG and Bruce Power, and aligns with the Nuclear Energy Strategy released by the Canadian government earlier this year, the company said.

John MacQuarrie, president, BWXT Commercial Operations, said the announcement represented "far more" than just an expansion of its capacity. "It is a major step to solidify our company’s place in the global nuclear resurgence," he said. "By increasing our manufacturing capacity in Cambridge, we are helping ensure we have the industrial capability needed to support major nuclear projects, strengthen energy security, advance climate goals and compete in a growing global market."

Tim Hodgson, Canada's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, said the expansion of BWXT's facility "is exactly the kind of progress our Nuclear Energy Strategy is designed to catalyse: investments that create highly skilled Canadian jobs, strengthen our nuclear supply chain, and expand the domestic manufacturing capacity needed to support the next generation of nuclear projects in Ontario and beyond".

The Cambridge expansion has already created 200 new long-term, highly skilled jobs, supporting careers in engineering, advanced welding, metallurgy, robotics, precision machining and digital manufacturing, and BWXT said it is aiming to recruit 200 more workers in Cambridge over the next year. Ontario Minister of Energy and Mines Stephen Lecce said Ontario's nuclear buildout is helping to reindustrialise the province, driving manufacturing investment and employment. "The first mover advantage is positioning Ontario's supply chain at the centre of the global nuclear buildout - a key part of our plan to create 150,000 new good-paying Canadian jobs," he said.