Blog Posts
How Tidal Energy is Making a Wave in the Energy Sector
Canada possesses some of the most energetic tidal resources in the world, with a potential of more than 42,000 MW.
September 17, 2026
When most people picture a nuclear power plant, they imagine giant cooling towers that take a decade to build. Now picture a plant that is built in a factory, shipped across the ocean, and switched on about 18 months later.
That process is exactly what Canada is about to do. In early October, the Cambridge-based BWXT Canada has been picked to build the reactors for Canada’s first transportable nuclear power plant.
Traditional nuclear plants, like Bruce or Darlington, are built piece by piece on site and stay there for good. A transportable nuclear power plant flips that model. The developer, Prodigy Clean Energy, builds the whole plant inside one structure in a factory, ships it on a heavy-lift ship, and installs it where it is needed. At the end of its life, the plant is removed and taken apart at a central facility instead of leaving a permanent nuclear site behind. Think of it less like a building and more like a piece of equipment you can install, run, and take away.
Inside will be two small reactors called BWXT Advanced Nuclear Reactors (BANR). Their fuel is sealed in tiny ceramic-coated pellets that can handle extreme heat, and the reactors are designed to cool themselves safely without pumps or people stepping in.
The reactors will be built by BWXT Canada in Cambridge, Ontario, with its sister company Kinectrics helping with licensing. Both teams draw on decades of experience with Canada’s CANDU reactors. Ontario Energy Minister Stephen Lecce said the project will deliver “the first commercially operating microreactor in the G7”. This is a Canadian project built right here in Canada, demonstrating Canada’s nuclear expertise and ability to make it inhouse.
The pilot plant will be built in Belledune, New Brunswick, and is designed to produce up to 50 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 40,000 homes around the clock. It will take about 18 months to install and is targeted to start running in the early 2030s. The power already has a buyer, as New Brunswick has signed a letter of intent to purchase the electricity. Belledune will also be home to a central operations and maintenance hub that will service a future fleet of these plants across northern Canada.
Microreactors are built for the places traditional plants cannot reach. Many remote and northern communities still rely on diesel generators, with fuel that has to be flown, trucked, or shipped in, often in harsh weather. A plant that arrives fully assembled and runs for years without refuelling offers a more reliable option, which is why Belledune is the first step toward a fleet serving Canada’s North and Arctic. The pilot is also designed as a template for plants in northern Canada and abroad, giving Canada a technology it can share with the world.
One of the most important parts of this project is who owns it. Prodigy describes the pilot as Indigenous-led and owned, with Pabineau First Nation and Eel River Bar First Nation set to have ownership over the reactors. The two Nations groups have also helped select the reactor technology. The exact ownership split and financing have not been made public yet, but the project has been discussed as a partnership in development and revenue-sharing. Pabineau First Nation Chief Terry Richardson called it “a replicable model to deploy transportable nuclear power infrastructure across Canada”. Projects like this demonstrate the economic benefits that nuclear energy can offer and can contribute to long-term economic stability for all communities involved.
Belledune shows that Canada can design, build, and deliver advanced nuclear technology from start to finish. The plant alone is expected to create more than 150 jobs during site preparation and about 40 permanent jobs, and Ontario’s wider nuclear expansion is tied to as many as 150,000 jobs.
That is why I think young Canadians should be paying attention. A project like this needs a huge range of people working together. Engineers design, build, and test the reactors. Welders, pipefitters, and electricians bring them to life in the factory and on site. Operators and technicians keep the plant running, while safety and environmental specialists guide it through approvals. Because nuclear plants run for decades, these are long-term careers, not short-term contracts. Projects like this take years to plan and build, so the people who will run them in the 2030s are students right now.
As an engineering student, I see nuclear as a field where you can work on cutting-edge technology and build a stable career, all right here in Canada. Whether you are in engineering, the trades, or the sciences, nuclear is one of the most exciting places to build a career. This first transportable plant is just the beginning!
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