Two new reactors under construction by 2035. Five more planned or in development by 2040. Those are the numbers at the heart of a nuclear strategy Canada published on June 24, one that opens the way for up to 10 new large-scale reactors.
The strategy puts nuclear power at the center of the country’s electricity, uranium and clean energy planning. Natural Resources Canada built it around new builds, exports, uranium production, nuclear fuel and innovation. A further target asks for at least one nuclear deployment outside Ontario, either operating or under construction, by 2035.
No new money yet
Ottawa has not attached immediate federal funding to the reactors. The government said a policy due by April 2027 will set the terms for federal support and financing tools. Large projects also still have to clear federal and provincial review, and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission regulates facilities and reviews licence applications.
Where Canada starts
Nuclear plants supply about 13% of the country’s electricity today. Canada runs 17 CANDU reactors, all in Ontario and New Brunswick. It is also the world’s second largest uranium producer, with about 24% of global output in 2024, and the mining and milling is concentrated in Saskatchewan.
Two projects already show the pipeline. In April 2025 the safety commission granted Ontario Power Generation a construction licence for one BWRX 300 reactor at Darlington in Clarington, Ontario. Bruce Power has proposed Bruce C in Kincardine, Ontario, with capacity of up to 4,800 megawatts.
Smaller technology gets space in the plan too. The strategy covers small modular reactors, microreactors and fuel development, and sets 2035 as the date for demonstrating a Canadian microreactor.
Earlier commitments
The strategy follows money Ottawa has already pledged. A $40 million microreactor feasibility program runs for 2026 and 2027, and $2.2 billion over 10 years is committed to capital investments at Chalk River Laboratories.
What the new document adds is a number for large reactors. After decades of leaning on existing nuclear sites, Canada now has a stated count of how many it wants built.
