Industry: Nuclear Power Generation operations
Location: Ontario, Canada
May 2025
CASE STUDY
In 2023, the operator commissioned a constructor to build a Small Modular Reactor (SMR) at the Darlington site in Ontario, Canada. This will be the first SMR in Canada, and now with a construction license approved by the CNSC, it’s full steam ahead! The GE Hitachi’s 10th-generation Boiling Water Reactor BWRX-300, will set a new standard in clean energy generation for the country and the globe alike. It’s next significant milestone that will facilitate obtaining its operating license, a new Management System (MS) and Nuclear Operating Model was required by the Canadian regulator.
The system was to be significantly more lean than the regular CANDU (CANada Deuterium Uranium pressurized heavy-water reactor design, yet meet the regulators requirement on safety, reliability and quality in every way. The challenge of course was to build such the MS with less.
This would be our third MS we have built and the second in the nuclear indusrry. So with a small but skilled team we set about supporting the build, providing expert know-how and products such as in system design, regulator engagement, change, risk and project management, governance and business process management to name a few.
Key deliverables in development:
- A Management System Manual
- A comprehensive process-based system architecture
- MS Transition Strategy to operations
- Project Management Plan
- Process and Procedure documentation
- SMR MS working group, steering committee and review board charter
- Operating model architecture
- Regulatory engagement strategy
- SMR MS Master Graphic
- Domain area workshops
- Change Management Plan
- A Process Modeling standard
- Ongoing nuclear governance subject matter expertise and advisory
The Result
While this project is still ongoing, MCG is providing operating experience together with technical and strategic subject matter expertise in best practice management system and operating model design, build and governance. This includes but not limit to tools, techniques, documentation, workshop facilitation, methods and approaches. We are on track for results in the rapid establishment of a regulatory-compliant system and interconnected architecture encompassing documentation, staff accountability, performance metrics and governance geared to enhance safe and reliable SMR operations.
Read more on this history-making project here.