As the company targets future projects, BWXT Nuclear Energy in Peterborough is partnering with the Innovation Cluster to help spur job growth in the region.
BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada ships uranium dioxide-filled pellets to its Peterborough facility where they are assembled into CANDU fuel bundles using beryllium, a lightweight metal.
The Toronto-based company says as Ontario’s population and energy demands rise, manufacturing and electric vehicle production have policy makers pushing for more energy production — including nuclear power.
“There’s a lot of work to do, so we have refurbishing existing reactors, we have creating new reactors, we’re trying to create more and more medical isotopes,” said Brett Jermyn, the company’s fuel handling and engineered solutions director.
“The original fuel handling system for the CANDU reactors that operated Darlington and Bruce Power (stations) were developed right here in Peterborough.”
In late 2021, the company announced a $50-million contract for a major refurbishment project for the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station.
The company says more than 100 new jobs were created in recent years, and that trend could continue with further expansion and refurbishment at the Darlington, Pickering and Bruce nuclear generating stations in Ontario.
In January, the province announced it would proceed with a complete renovation of Pickering Nuclear Power Station, reversing prior plans to retire the decades-old facility.
The company currently employs 400 people at its Peterborough facility on Monaghan Road — the largest workforce of its three facilities which include Toronto and Arnprior.
“To support those projects we have to continue to grow probably at that same rate we’ve been moving forward on,” said Jermyn.
Which is a reason why BWXT Peterborough on Tuesday announced a new partnership with the Innovation Cluster, the non-profit organization that supports entrepreneurs and startups to launch, grow and scale their businesses.
Camilla Duarte, executive director for the Innovation Cluster, says the goals of the partnership include promoting the benefits of clean energy while “transforming” public perception.
Other goals include boosting local employment, including accessing students from Trent University and Fleming College in Peterborough, while growing the economy through innovation.
“We are well-connected and we’re part of a giant ecosystem that can support that talent attraction and be an economic development piece for BWXT,” said Duarte.
“We have a cleantech initiative at the Innovation Cluster, so working together we can find better avenues to attract talent for the Innovation Cluster for the clients of the cluster and for our ecosystem.”
Jermyn says the collaboration highlights the company’s commitment to innovation, job creation and “deepening our relationships” within the city. BWXT will have an office inside the Innovation Cluster’s downtown incubator.
“We’re excited to be working with the organization and tapping into their expertise and network to further enable our nuclear innovations and support our community,” he said.
The Innovation Cluster is hosting a panel event called “Understanding CleanTech/New Age Energy” on April 25. To register visit online.
More to come…