BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Awarded CA$168 M Contract Extension for OPG Nuclear Fuel Manufacturing

BWX Technologies, Inc. (BWXT) announced today that its subsidiary BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Inc. (BWXT NEC) has been awarded a CA$168 million, five-year contract extension to manufacture fuel for Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) Darlington and Pickering nuclear generating stations. The deal extends BWXT NEC’s current fuel manufacturing arrangement with OPG to the end of 2023.

“We are proud to be continuing our role in producing fuel bundles for OPG’s nuclear fleet,” said John MacQuarrie, President, BWXT Canada Ltd. and BWXT NEC. “This contract represents clean, low-cost and reliable electricity for millions of people in Ontario and sustains hundreds of high-value jobs across our facilities in Peterborough, Toronto and Arnprior.”

“The safe operation of our nuclear fleet is our number one priority,” said Glenn Jager, OPG Nuclear President and Chief Nuclear Officer. “We are pleased to award this five-year contract extension to manufacture fuel for our Pickering and Darlington Stations. BWXT has a long history of supplying reliable, high-quality fuel that meets the stringent requirements of reactor operating conditions. The nuclear industry contributes over $5 billion annually to the Canadian economy and supports about 50,000 jobs in Ontario. BWXT is a large part of the success of nuclear in this province.”

Three of BWXT’s Canadian-based operations (Peterborough, Arnprior and Toronto) will directly benefit from the positive impacts of the contract extension. The Arnprior operation produces zirconium-alloy tubes, while the Toronto facility produces natural uranium pellets. These components are shipped to the BWXT Peterborough facility where they are assembled into fuel bundles.

“I congratulate OPG and BWXT on this important contract,” said Jeff Leal, Peterborough Member of Provincial Parliament. “Ontario’s nuclear industry is an important economic engine in this province, and it is great to feel those benefits right here in Peterborough.”

BWXT NEC has been manufacturing fuel for OPG since the early 1970s, when the first fleet of Pickering (28 element fuel) reactors came on line. Later, BWXT NEC manufactured fuel for the Bruce and Darlington reactors (37 element fuel) as they came online throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s. Today, and for the past 17 years, BWXT NEC has been the sole fuel manufacturing supplier to OPG, providing both 28 and 37 element fuel bundle designs.